Another Zutara Drabble Collection
by TwistedFury
Summary: Love, Hate. Fire, Ice. Warmth, Cold. Life, Death. A Series of Drabbles, Oneshots...It's Zutara. Need I say More?
1. 70 Beginnings

**Disclaimer: **Unfortunately, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Trust me, if I did, I wouldn't have to resort to writing a lame drabble series such as this because Zutara would have already happened. But alas...

* * *

It began with the cautious exchange of words. The occasional touch.

It was followed by the long walks and talks. Stolen glances by the fireside.

That was followed by late-night meetings and tentative kisses.

And eventually, the kisses became less hesitant. The touches more frequent, comforting. The quick glances became long stares into the other's eyes. And the late-night meetings ended in a sleepily whispered "G'morning".

They couldn't stop it. It kept building beneath them; sweeping them off their feet; catching them when they fell; giving them wings so they could fly.

But after all, that's love.

* * *

**A/N: **That's the first of many. Seriously, I have almost 300 Drabbles saved on my computer. But I think this was a good drabble to start the series with. If you enjoyed it, REVIEW. If you didn't enjoy it, REVIEW! And I'll make it betterer. And then you can enjoy it!!

For everytime you don't review...I'll think of something.


	2. 15 Life

**Disclaimer: **I do not own, take claim to, possess, have rights to, control, or have any other affiliation with Avatar: The Last Airbender or Mike or Bryan. I do, however, own a thesaurus.

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"I'm not going to be the one responsible for making you choose between your future as the Fire Lord and me, Zuko. We both knew from the beginning this just wasn't going to work. I'm leaving for the Earth Kingdom in the morning."

"You don't want to go…"

"You're right," she said, as the tears gathered in her eyes. "But I _have_ to."

"No!" he cried, rushing to her. He grabbed her forearms and turned her gaze to his. "I won't let you leave. You _have_ to stay!"

"I'm sorry, Zuko," she said, stepping back from him and shaking her head. "I can't. I want to, but I can't. You…are destined to do great things. But I…I'll keep you from achieving your greatness." She turned and walked towards the door of his study, leaving him bewildered. She paused with her hand on the doorknob and turned around. "Your life is here. And…as much as I want to be a part of it…I can't be."

The door closed softly, but it echoed around the room. Zuko collapsed on the floor, pressing his palms to his eyes to stop the tears. _Your life is here…_

_Katara, you _are_ my life. _

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**A/N: **I know, this one is kinda cheesy, corny, cliched, unoriginal, banal...But anyway:REVIEW. ReVieW! rEvIEw. RevieW! rEVIEw. puh-lease!!


	3. 22 Come And Go

**Disclaimer: **I do not own, nor will I ever own, Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything related to it. Dang.

* * *

He hated it when it rained. Everything now reminded him of her.

"_Can't catch me," she teased, running through the gardens. He shuffled around the tree and tackled her._

The rain and the wind blew his clothes and hair around him. Both chilled him to the bone. For a Firebender, he had never felt so cold. Without her he had no warmth.

_Her blue eyes were the first things he saw every day. "G'morning sleepyhead," she'd mumble, although barely awake herself. _

He longed for her to be next to him. Holding onto him for dear life. He would give anything to look into her ocean blue orbs again. The wind and rain grew stronger. He knew she wouldn't come back.

"_Prepare a ship for the Water Tribe, Uncle," he said._

He would go to her then.

* * *

**A/N: **Just so ya'll know, the italicized sentences are the things that happened past that Zuko is remembering. And anything not italicized is the present.

I promise, the drabbles will get better! Even the best of writers got off to a slow start...Take J.K. Rowling and the 4th Harry Potter book, and the 6th Harry Potter book. But J.K. Rowling didn't have the REVIEWS of her readers to help her get better. So REVIEW!! So I can get better and make you happier!!


	4. 118 Petals

**Disclaimer:** No, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Yes, I want to.

* * *

Ten petals sat before him on the flower. He plucked them off carefully, one by one, watching them float away into the wind as he let them go.

"She doesn't."

"She does."

"She doesn't."

"She does."

"She doesn't."

"She does."

"She doesn't."

"She does."

"She doesn't."

"She does."

He plucked the last petal off and glanced over to where the two were Waterbending in the river. "She just doesn't know it yet."

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**A/N:** Short. Sweet. To the point. Or petal. Whatever.

Please Review so I can make them longer. Bitter. Beating around the bush!


	5. 34 Independence

**Disclaimer:** For a moment I thought I owned Avatar: The Last Airbender. And then I woke up.

* * *

Katara never needed anyone to help her stand. She was _very_ capable of taking care of herself _and _others, thank-you-very-much. She always had been, because it was what she had to do. While the girls played with their dolls, she was doing laundry and experimenting with new recipes for sea-prunes. And for that reason she never had many friends. Boy or girl. The children of her village generally left her alone. And she was okay with that. She didn't need them anyway.

Which is why she was surprised when she found someone to complement her. He was pompous and conceited, yet kind and thoughtful. He was foolish, yet careful and diligent. And he had a bad temper and preferred to be alone. It was surprising because like her, he had always taken care of himself, had no true friends and generally was alright with those conditions.

It was surprising because after all this time, Katara didn't want to be alone anymore.

And neither did he.

* * *

**A/N: **I have nothing to say about this. That was a lie. I do. It was inspired by Kelly Clarkson's song "Miss Independent". Because doesn't Katara just strike you as someone who doesn't need anybody? People mostly need her, right? I mean, if it wasn't for us crazy love-obsessed fans forcing pairings (Jetara, Zutara, Kataang, Katoph...) down her throat, I think she would wind up being alone. If you agree: REVIEW. If you don't: REVIEW!

By the way: What is an A/N? What does it even stand for? This is a serious question.


	6. 75 Crazy

**Disclaimer:** Only the following writing is mine. The characters, events and any/all references to a world that is not our own belong to Mike and Bryan and their masterpiece, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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If someone had told her one year ago that she would have found the long-lost Avatar, leave the South Pole to help him, become a Master Waterbender, meet a girl who actually _liked_ her brother, meet a Master Earthbender—who was blind, offer help to a Firebender, get stuck in a cave with said Firebender, be reunited with her father, actually _see_ three of the Air Temples, fight against the Fire Nation army, and join up with said Firebender who just-so-happened to also be the Prince of the Fire Nation, she would have called them crazy. Then laughed.

_Who_ in their right mind set would _ever_ fall in love with _Sokka_?

But if they had said that the Firebender, their sworn enemy, would fall in love with her, and she with him, she would have confiscated all cactus juice they had been drinking…and then freeze herself to her igloo so she would never leave the South Pole.

But the crazy thing about it is that even crazy people know what they're talking about. Because every crazy thing actually happened.

* * *

**A/N:** So my sister, who is also my proof-reader/person-I-go-to-for-inspiration/co-author of some of the drabbles was reading this and told me what an A/N was. She laughed at me. Hysterically. I'm embarassed. My face is still red.


	7. 203 New

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I don't own anything until I'm 18. That's what my parents say. And even when I'm 18 I won't own Avatar.

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"She was the most beautiful woman in the kingdom when he was a young boy. And he fell in love with her, although she was much older than him," Zuko overheard his uncle say.

"And he's still in love with her?"

"A love like that will never completely fade."

"What about her feelings?" the other man inquired.

Zuko felt a hand on his should and quickly drew back from the open doorway.

"It's impolite to eavesdrop," she says, smiling mischievously.

Iroh glances toward the door where he saw his nephew leaning before. He hears muffled laughed and immediately identifies the owners. There is only one person in the palace who can make his nephew laugh.

"I do believe her feelings have subsided," he says, imagining what is happening in the hallway.

* * *

**A/N:** I. Love. Iroh. He is the perfect combination of a best-friend/grandfatherly figure.

This inspiration for this drabble is from a novel. I'm not exactly sure which one it was, but I'm going to say _The Other Boleyn Girl_ by Phillipa Gregory. I'm not exactly sure, but I'm 99.9% positive. [Quick History Lesson: King Henry VIII married his older brother Arthur's widow, Katharine of Aragon. Katharine was 5 years or so older than Henry.] If anyone can guess correctly which Avatar characters are Arthur, Katharine and Henry, respectively, then I'll write you a drabble about anything you want.


	8. 58 MasterCard

**Disclaimer:** If I were you and you were me, I still would not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

One block of blue wood..........................One silver piece

One set of carving knives.......................Ten gold pieces

Asking Toph to remove the metal from his finger  
when the carving knife broke and then explaining _why_  
he couldn't 'just ask Sugar Queen to heal him' ......................................One week of extra chores

Asking for Sokka's permission................................................................. One mile of running, several bruises, innumerable death threats and eventually a 'yes'

Seeing her face when he gave her the necklace.................................... Priceless

* * *

**A/N: **I love the MasterCard commercials. They're always so...Priceless. But I have to say, I'm glad I don't have any brothers, and I really don't think my Dad is the kind of guy to chase my boyfriend a mile while shouting death-threats at him. That would be my Mom. And Grandma. And possibly cousin too.

I'm not even kidding.


	9. 6 The Storm

**Disclaimer: **I'm not sure why I feel like I have to put this at the beginning of every one of my drabbles, but I do. So let it here-to-forth be decreed, that I do not own, and never shall own any rights to Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

There she stood, on the docks, waiting for the last ray of sun to disappear beyond the horizon. Held in her hands were the many fragments of his picture, and a brown box. Everything he ever gave to her she kept in that box. She couldn't keep them anymore, the memories they held were too painful.

So here she was, standing on the dock, in the same place she was one…two…three…four…five years ago. That was when he died. She was going to do it this year, she had told herself. Yet, in this same position, she began to have second thoughts.

She had tried to cry on this day five years ago, but no tears would come to her eyes. When she was first informed of his death, she felt a mixture of emotions. Anger, shock, solitude, sorrow, helplessness; yet she couldn't cry.

They told her it was an assassin, but she knew better. He was strong, even for one so old as he was. She didn't take it well at all, but surprisingly, she couldn't cry. She couldn't cry then, and she couldn't cry now.

Looking below her on the docks, she saw the blue water of the Fire Nation churning. There was a storm coming. She could feel it. Opening the lid, she saw what she had not seen in many years.

Her engagement necklace, much like her mothers. _I wanted to keep some traditions_, he had told her. A portrait of them together, she came home from her nation to find it cracked. His royal crown. The mirror he bought her for their first wedding anniversary. And the thing that would be the hardest to let go was at the very bottom. The scrap of cloth from the robe he was wearing that day. Embroidered on it were their symbols; his a bright orange flame bird, and hers, a deep blue koi fish.

She had to do it, sooner or later. Now was the time. Closing the lid over the box, trapping its contents inside for ever more, she placed a kiss on his picture. Sliding her gnarled feet closer to the edge of the pier, Katara dropped the box into the water. As her silver hair whipped around her face, she watched the box float away into the sunset.

In the Fire Nation they burn their dead and send the ashes into the wind. But in the Water Tribes, it was custom to send them off to sea. Only now, as her husband's memories floated off into the horizon, could she finally feel as if he was no longer with her. _I love you, Zuko, _she thought as the box bobbed in the churning sea water.

_She sits among the pieces  
__Broken glass and photographs  
__Reluctantly releases  
__The last of what was her past. _

_--Garth Brooks: 'The Storm'_

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**A/N: **Okay, so this might be a long Author's Note. (That's what A/N means!!) When I was little and musically uneducated...I used to love country music. Especially Garth Brooks. Bear with me, okay, this has a point! So, I was listening to my iPod one day and this song came on and I listened to it like 50 million times in a row and then I had an epiphany to write a drabble based off of the song. So if anyone out there is feeling brave enough to explore the world we call "Country Music" I would strongly suggest listening to 'The Storm' or any other Garth Brooks song for that matter.

Wow, that wasn't nearly as long as I thought it was going to be...


	10. 98 Scores Not Settled

**Disclaimer: **The author of this drabble is in no way the owner of Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything affiliated with it, except for this drabble series. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. Have a nice day, and remember, Beware of Dog.

* * *

She had offered him kindness. And he had slapped her.

She had offered him help. And he had burned her.

She had offered him a place with them. And he killed her best friend.

Finally, she offered him life. And only then did he take her help. He became one of them, subject to her kindness, her help, her family.

And still, after all this time he can never look at her quite right. Because all he remembers are her words of help. _Wanting_ to help him. And how he turned her away every time.

And _still_ she keeps giving to him.

She has given him more chances than he deserved. And he wishes he could somehow change to deserve them. But no matter what he decides to do for her, he _never_ feel like he has repaid her for her kindness and his cruelty.

So he will keep trying. For the rest of his life, he will never forgive himself for not taking those chances earlier. But he will do his best. And hopefully that will be enough.

* * *

  
**A/N:** Did the dog bite your legs off? No? Okay good. It's just a flesh wound, so don't worry.

I don't know. This is kind of from Zuko's P.O.V. It's kind of obvious what this is about, but if you're one of those people who have already been staring at your computer screen for several hours before reading this, and you are so brain dead it will take something stronger than a Monster+Amp+Full Throtle+Mountain Dew combination to wake you up, then here is an explanation: Zuko's P.O.V. He is tormented by the fact that nothing he will ever do will be enough to forgive Katara for the kindness she has shown him even when he repeatedly hurt her and her friends. There. Done. Now wake up.


	11. 27 Scent

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do, however, own this drabble. And if something within this drabble offends you, lighten up, get over it, and move on.

**Disclaimer for my Disclaimer:** I do not own the last part of my disclaimer.

* * *

She opened the door quickly and quietly; the last thing she needed was to be caught. But she had to do this, so taking one last look down the corridor, she snuck inside.

It was much neater than she thought it would be. The bed was made, clothes neatly folded over the chair, and on the desk a picture of his uncle. She looked around the room again, searching with her eyes for something –anything—out of the ordinary. She walked over to his bag at the foot of the bed. His cloak was folded neatly inside it, along with some soap; his swords lay neatly at the bottom. She took out the cloak, tossing it over her shoulder as she examined the swords. She pulled the first out of its sheath and admired her reflection in its flawless blade. There were a few scratches and scorch marks, but they didn't interrupt its beauty.

As she bent down to place them back in the bag, the cloak fell over her shoulder, stirring up the air around her. It startled her, and froze her where she was. The smell…it was so wonderful. She pulled the cloak up from the floor and pressed her face to it, inhaling deeply. The scent…his scent…was like magic. It made her hairs stand on end. It was unlike anything she had every smelled before. It smelt vaguely of freesia, or something else floral, and musk. But beneath that there was the smell of firewood—something burning—a campfire. It was the most wonderful scent in the world. And—although she hated to admit it—she was in love with it. But that didn't necessarily make her in love with him…did it?

In a daze, she folded the cloak up and placed it exactly as it was before. She couldn't live without that scent filling her nostrils. It was then, as she was leaving the room, that Katara decided she would _try_ to become acquaintances with Zuko, if only to be near him, if only to have that scent fill her mind every second of every day.

* * *

**A/N:** This kind of happened to me once. I had a crush on this guy, and he asked me to get him his jacket. So I did. and when I picked it up it smelled really, really good. Only it didn't smell like freesia, musk, firewood. Although I do love the scent of firewood. That's just how I imagined Zuko to smell like. And several other FF writers seem to agree with me on Zuko's smell. I think Mike and Bryan would make a killing if they manufactured a line of colognes/perfumes/general scents for each of the characters of Avatar.


	12. 43 Sacrifices

**Disclaimer:** If I didn't own Avatar: The Last Airbender the last eleven times, I do not own it now, nor will I own it in the future. My patent is pending. But sadly it will never be accepted.

* * *

She had insisted they travel only at night. She hated to see the sun anymore. The warmth it provided reminded her too much of him. How heat radiated from every part of him, warming her from the inside out.

Toph, Sokka and Aang didn't bother questioning her about it. She hadn't been herself since they left the Fire Nation. She was always depressed when she left him. But this time it was worse. She wouldn't be going back.

"Katara, do you have a minute?"

"Not now, Toph," the Waterbender said. As Toph's footsteps died away, she continued staring at the moon. Yue made a sacrifice, didn't she? For the world. For Sokka. They loved each other. And Sokka had moved on, hadn't he? So why couldn't she?

New footsteps—so much like her brothers—came up behind her. "Not now, Sokka," she said brokenly, trying to hold in her tears.

A warm hand rested itself on her shoulder.

"I'm here, Katara," his familiar, husky voice said. "I'm right here."

"Zuko?" she asked, wiping her eyes as the blurry figure sat down next to her. "You should be in the Fire Nation. Dealing with the nobles, choosing a…a wife."

"I have chosen my wife," he said, looking into her eyes.

"The nobles would never approve…"she said, leaning into the familiar warmth of his shoulder.

He was quiet for a while. "We don't need their approval…anymore."

Anymore. _Anymore_. "Zuko, you…gave it all up? For me?"

"I would do anything for you," he said, kissing the top her head.

"You can't, your nation needs you more tha-"

He placed his free hand over her mouth.

"I know. But I need _you_ more than I need my nation."

His eyes burned with sincerity. He pulled his hand back and kissed her lips tenderly.

"Besides, Uncle can handle things."

That night, the moon smiled upon the two lovers.

* * *

**A/N: **Awww. Corny. I hate this one. I really do. I think ya'll need to REVIEW and get my spirits back up. That would be good.


	13. 258 Shell

**Disclaimer: **My name is neither Mike nor Bryan. So therefore, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender or anything related to it.

* * *

Everything is the same. I can't see anything exceptionally beautiful anymore. Even the richest and my most favorite of foods have lost their taste. There are no colors. And although I hear words, I cannot make out their meanings.

But most of all, I'm always cold.

It is the middle of June and I am bundled as if it were January. Two tunics, four shirts, double pairs of socks, fur-lined boots and a heavy wool dress. Only Uncle seems to have any kindness left for me. He is the one who comforts me, encourages me, and does not give me crazed looks when we pass in the hallways.

In fact, it was he who called for my maid to draw a scalding bath for me. I sat in the water as the maid heated it. Nothing. I counted the tiles on the wall of the washroom. The maid excused herself. Although I knew the water was hot, I could not feel it. Although I knew the water was burning my skin, I didn't move.

I didn't care.

* * *

Now Uncle holds my arms and applies the burn salve. The physician said something about second degree burns, but I wasn't listening. I was staring into the mirror in the infirmary.

My black dress hangs loosely from my thin frame. My face, covered with dark make-up is sallow, empty, thin and angular. My hair is flat, it has lost its luster. My eyes are haunted. I've simply become a shell. Empty. Cold. Unfeeling.

I wonder…I drop my arms and wander from Uncle towards the mirror. I raise my hand and place it against the glass; my reflection does the same. Did I really expect it not to? Did I expect the broken woman in the mirror not to be me?

Yes. I did.

For the first time since last year, I now allow myself to crumple down and cry. I look at myself, the empty, unfeeling shell that I have since become, and I wonder, Zuko, my love, if maybe you took me away when you left, too.

* * *

**A/N:** Oh well. Zuko's dead. It had to have happened sometime. I was going to save this drabble for later, but I didn't. Obviously. I hope this one is more original and less simplistic.

I was in a kinda dark mood when I wrote this.


	14. 106 Frown

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender and this drabble does not reflect the thoughts or opinions of Mike and/or Bryan, myself, my company, my friends, or my cat.

* * *

Ever since he had arrived all he had received from the blue-eyed girl was a death threat and numerous scowls.

He had always felt hostility emanating from her, but only now did it seem to bother him. Maybe because he felt that whenever he was in close proximity with her, he was also near death. And all her angry glares that wrinkled her eyebrows and darkened her eyes made him wonder what she looked like when she smiled…or was happy. But he realized that as long as he was around she may not ever smile. What a deprivation that would be on my part, he thought.

Even _Azula_ had smiled at least once in his presence. _And_ his father must have as well.

So one night after dinner he approached her. Much, he could see, to her displeasure.

"You should smile more often," he said as he handed her his dish. "Frowning does nothing to enhance your features."

He could tell he flustered her, because instead of her usual retort, she turned and continued cleaning the plates.

But after that night he saw her smile more often.

And he was right. She _was _kind of pretty when she smiled. Maybe even beautiful.

* * *

**A/N: **Turn that frown upside down because you never know who could be falling in love with your smile. Words of wisdom from my cat.


	15. 88 Roller Coaster

**Disclaimer: **Disclaimer does not cover misuse, accident, lightning, flood, tornado, tsunami, volcani eruption, earthquake, hurricanes, or other acts of nature, neglect, damage from improper use, unauthorized use, improper installation, tpyos, missing or altered serial numbers, electromagnetic radiation from nuclear blasts, sonic boom vibrations, incidents owing to an airplane crash, ship sinking or taking on water, motor vehicle crashing, falling rocks, leaky roof, broken glass, accidental file deletions, mud slides, forest fire, milk coming out of your nose due to laughing while drinking, boredom from reading this Disclaimer, or projectiles, which can include, but are not limited to, arrows, bullet shots, BBs, lasers, napalm, torpedoes, emissions of X-rays, Alpha, Beta and Gamma rays, knives, stones, etc. Oh, and I do not own, claim to own or have any affiliation with Avatar: The Last Airbender.

**

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**

"Oh please Zuko! _Please_!"

"No."

"Please!" she begged.

"No."

"Please…"

He looked at her. Then at the monstrosity in front of him. Then back at her. "Alright," he said, defeated. Curse those blue eyes…

She grabbed his hand and dragged him into the line.

* * *

If he'd ever had a reason to be scared before, it was _nothing_ like now.

His knuckles were white, grasping the handle-bars for his life—or whatever was left of it.

She screamed at the top of her lungs, and laughed at his terrified expression. She was _so _lucky she was cute…

The car jerked to a stop.

Katara laughed uncontrollably while Zuko attempted to restart his heart.

"Let's go agai—"

"No!"

* * *

**A/N: **I. Hate. Roller coasters. That's where my inspiration for this comes from. There's also a story. My family went to an amusement park and there was this roller coaster that was rated as "Really Intense" or something like that, but it looked like a little kiddie ride. So I begged and pleaded my youngest cousin to go on with me because everyone else was on some other ride. So we went on and when we got off she was crying and I was shaking. It wasn't a kiddie ride. Apparantly when you went around a turn, the cart gave the illusion that it was going to fly off the tracks. And it turned frequently. And it was easily a hundred foot drop to the ground. Not fun.

What do ya'll think about me making the Disclaimer my standard Disclaimer? How many of you actually read my Disclaimer? I took it from www. funehumor. com /disclaim. shtml


	16. 165 Size

**Disclaimer:** This Disclaimer complies with proposed U.S. federal requirements for disclaimers Section 301, Paragraph (a)(2)(c) of S.1618, which mandates, among other things, a free salad shooter if you call in the next five minutes. Also, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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He stood before her, looming over her diminutive form. It was the first time they had seen each other in over a year.

She had grown, not height-wise…but in the ways of a woman, he observed. Her eyes were no longer too large for her face, and he noticed too, that her usual line of freckles had been covered with something he never thought she would wear—makeup. He could see the curve of her cheek beneath her skin, the hollow at the base of her throat. He saw the outline of her breasts through her shirt, and her smooth legs, crossed behind the other. Her hands too he noticed, as she fiddled with them, were no longer the hands of a child. _Who is this beautiful woman?_

She saw changes in him too. His boyish five-foot five-inches of last year were replaced by a new six-foot tall man. He had thinned out and toned up quite a bit. His arms were muscular, unlike the twigs of last summer and hung loosely at his sides. His hands were larger, thicker. His shirt clung nicely to his well defined chest. His nose was no longer bulbous. His hair had been cut nicely and no longer lay shaggy in his face. _Who is this handsome man?_

His eyes were dark as he thought about the torture he would go through this summer seeing her every day; hers were bright at the prospect of seeing him every day.

He was frowning to hide the love he possessed; she was smiling, giddy at the sight of him.

And then she spoke. "You got…" her eyes appraised him as she searched for the right word, "…huge!" Her voice was music to his ears. How could he have forgotten what it had sounded like? Time had only made it sweeter.

The darkness faded from his eyes and his frown rearranged itself. "Yes, I did."

* * *

**A/N**: If you've ever had a summer love at summer camp, then this drabble is dedicated to you. Even though its not summer. But this is basically what more or less happens, you love, you leave, you try to remember and then when you see the person again they've changed. And its sometimes awkward. This is one of the few drabbles of mine that I actually like. And I hope ya'll like it too.

On a different note. I have decided that from now on I will include a funny little disclaimer in my disclaimer. All disclaimers will be taken from www. schaft .com /standardiscl .html. The disclaimers will most likely have nothing to do with the drabble, unless I can find one that does. They will be chosen at random. Employees and their families will be excluded. No purchase necessary.


	17. 77 Happy

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I only own this drabble. But, in the event that any of the following should occur, I do not own this drabble. Discontinue reading this drabble immediately if any of the following occurs: itching, vertigo, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, slurred speech, temporary blindness, profuse sweating, or heart palpitations. In case of contact with eyes, flush with water. Read at own risk.

* * *

He hadn't seen her this happy since…well, he had _never_ see her this happy. Ever. At all. But seeing her with him—the boy he wished _he_ could be—he saw her happy. Smiling. Laughing. He wished _he_ could make her feel that way.

He ran his hand through his shaggy hair. He had grown it out for her. He thought she liked it that way—longer. He sighed.

She was happy. And isn't that ultimately what he wanted for her? To be happy? Even if it made him miserable to see her happy with someone else?

Yes. As long as she was happy, he could continue to be.

The Avatar sighed as he watched his best friend kiss someone else. But at least _she_ was happy.

* * *

**A/N: **Uhm. I got nothing. This concept may be a little overdone...where you want someone to be happy even though they're not with you, but I thought it'd be cool to do a drabble from Aang's point of view.


	18. 259 Open Your Eyes

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Although the Avatar is an Airbender, he is fictional, a concept that I am sure many of you--myself included--have purposely overlooked so as to make up an alternate reality where the series has not ended and Katara can end up with Zuko. In addition, although this drabble is about Avatar, it is not about _the_ Avatar. This drabble is not directly about the Avatar, this drabble is not an Airbender so this drabble cannot actually fly.

* * *

I sit across the lunch room from you almost every day. But you still glance right through me and somehow manage to see her when she's not even though the double doors yet. She doesn't even love you anymore, Zuko.

I sit right next to you in Math class. But never once do you look to your left, even though the wall is to your right. Is peeling the tan paint off the walls that much more interesting than I am? If you peel anymore paint off the stupid wall, the school will give you a detention for vandalism. And there's only four other people in that period. Would it kill you to look my way just once?

Being the captain of the football team, student body president, captain of the soccer team, and the funniest guy in school, you wouldn't know what it's like. You wouldn't know what its like not to be seen.

We also have phys. ed. classes together. Three times a week. But you wouldn't know that either, would you? I'm the one who gets knocked down a lot. I'm the one you pegged with the dodge ball last week. Do you remember? Of course not. I had to go to the nurse. I had a huge bruise on my side and part of my arm for a week.

I'm the reason you're not dead yet. My brother was going to kill you when he saw my arm, and when I protested and yelled in pain when he tried to give me a hug. But I spoke out for you. I saved you. And you still don't see me. I'll bet you don't even know I go to the school. You probably don't even know I'm in your class. And it's really hard being ignored. But you wouldn't know that, would you?

But at least I have the comfort of knowing that your eyes are closed to more things than just me. I shouldn't be happy about that, but I am, because I know that it's not something wrong with me, it's something wrong with you. I'll bet you don't know you're girlfriend, Mai, has been cheating on you. For several months now. Since about Homecoming. With Jet. The artistic athlete. The smart pothead. He's a little mix of everything. He goes around most of the time high as Mt. Everest. We have art together. Twice a week.

And he notices me.

So why don't you?

* * *

**A/N: **This drabble is dedicated to all the girls who have been overlooked by a guy. And for all the guys who have been overlooked by girls.

For all those people who may not have come to the conclusion themselves, Katara is narrating this. She is talking, within her head, to Zuko. Pretend that she is leaning on her hand during study hall watchin him as he jokes with his friends and doesn't even seem to notice her...then it may make a little more sense.

I really like this one. Did I capture her character realistically?


	19. 60 Stitches

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do own this drabble, and if this drabble is given to you in an inflatible picture frame, DO NOT use it as a flotation device.

* * *

She had scars to prove the physical battles were real.

But of her ultimate battle there were no scars. Just stitches, but they weren't visible either.

Every night she'd cry herself to sleep, still not able to come to terms with the tragedy.

* * *

_He fell. Her hope. Her joy—gone with just a snap of the Princesses' fingers. _

* * *

That day her heart tore open.

* * *

_She couldn't save him. He was dead before he touched the ground. But they all fought to avenge him—his death—and the world. _

* * *

The gash his death left continually bled, even for months after the Fire Lord was defeated. But he wasn't there to share the victory with them. The victory that he had trained so long and hard for.

* * *

_Her dreams were more vivid every night. She had relived that day millions of times. But she was never able to change its outcome. She was always left feeling helpless—hopeless—lost and alone._

* * *

But then one day the pain went away.

* * *

_"It's alright…Katara we have to go!"_

_"No! I can't leave him! I won't leave him," she cried, desperately trying to heal him, knowing somewhere down deep that he would never wake. _

_Her brother dragged her away._

_

* * *

_

It was then she noticed the boy—now the man.

He was the one with the needle and thread. He saved her life that day. And did so every day since.

Although Aang would always be in her heart, Zuko was the one to heal her wounds. He left his imprint on her heart—stitching her up, until again, she felt whole.

* * *

**A/N: **I am sorry for all the dividing lines. If I didn't include them, it would have been even more confusing than it already is. Anyway...the words in italics are what happened in the past.

In either _New Moon_ or _Eclipse_, part of the amazing _Twilight _series by Stephenie Meyer, Edward says something like "Jacob was the one to stitch you up. That was bound to leave its mark". And so that is where the inspiration for this drabble comes. Just the last part, using the quote.


	20. 207 When Pigs Fly

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This drabble has been sanitized and sealed for your protection. If seal is broken, please reseal and replace so it becomes the next person's problem.

* * *

"You love him don't you?" Toph asks her friend.

Katara remains quiet.

"Well do you?" the younger girl presses.

"No."

"Aww, come on! You do so. You can't lie to me, so just say it already."

The older girl turns and begins to walk away, calling over her shoulder, "The day I admit I am in love with Zuko is the day that pigs fly."

The young blind girl laughs. "The crest of my family is a flying boar."

* * *

**A/N: **It may just be something that my family and the people in my state say, but has anyone else ever heard of the expression "...when pigs fly?" That's where this comes from. And I wanted to put Toph in one. I love Toph.


	21. 244 Divorce

**Disclaimer:** No part of this page may reproduce, store itself in a retrieval system or transmit disease, in any form, without the permissiveness of the reader's system. If a disease has been transmitted, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Blame Mike and Bryan.

* * *

"You were talking again last night," Aang said drily as she came down to the breakfast table.

His wife sat down beside him. "What do you mean, dear?" she asked, kissing his cheek.

"You were saying his name. Again."

"Oh. I don't remember," she said, shrugging.

Aang didn't answer her. "If you don't love him, you'll stay with me. But just know," he said, pushing a stack of papers against her right arm, "that I will not keep you here if you don't love me." He took a pen from his pocket and laid it on top of the pile.

Katara watched as her husband pushed his chair back and left the room without a backwards glance.

She looked down at the papers on the table. Divorce papers. His name was neatly signed above an empty line that was surely meant for her.

"What have I done?" she murmured.

A small part of her wanted to stay with her husband. In time, she was sure, they could be happy again. But she knew she could never love him in that way again.

The larger, more practical part of her wanted to be with the one she truly loved. They had always been a good match, stubborn as they both were.

She picked up the pen and signed by the 'X'.

* * *

**A/N: **I don't think Aang would actually divorce Katara. But this is my mind, so he does. He'd probably just pretend to ignore it for as long as he could.


	22. 111 Fight

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender and would appreciate it if certain personnel did not post on this page or sell or advertise through this page any item affiliated with Avatar: The Last Airbender. Other items that may not be advertised for sale are: live animals, human beings or body parts, soiled undergarments, bulk email lists, switchblades, and automatic weaponry such as AK-47s. Thank you.

* * *

Toph clapped her hands over her ears. "I may be blind, but I'm not _deaf_!" she shouted. She stomped her foot and sent a pillar of rock shooting up between them. "Stop _fighting_! Katara, can't you see that he's at least _trying_! And you," she said, turning on Zuko, "Stop pissing her off! Neither of you like the fighting and it just makes the rest of us feel awkward! We need each other if we're going to stop this war! And _fighting_," she enunciated, looking pointedly at Katara, "Is not the way to do it! So kiss and make up, already!"

Zuko cringed. "I am _not_ going to _kiss her_!"

"So what? I'm not _good _enough to be kissed by the Prince?" she yelled.

"I didn't mean it like that," he said.

"Well it sure sounded like that!"

Toph rolled her eyes as another fight erupted between them. _Fighting_, she thought, _the premature form of flirting._

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, I don't know about you, but the whole "funny disclaimer" thing I've been trying to do, isn't really working for me anymore. So I'm planning to stop. Unless ya'll like 'em.

I kinda like this one. I think its sweet...definitely third-grader-ly, but sweet. I don't know where I saw the "Fighting is the premature form of flirting" quote, but I saw it and knew I had to use it for a drabble.

One more thing to address: Because school will be starting back up on Monday, I'm probably not going to be able to upload very many new drabbles. I'll try to get on maybe once or twice a week, but I can't guarentee anything during the week. But I won't abandon this. I promise. Be on the look out for weekend updates.


	23. 44 Literally

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. But one day I may hold stock in it.

* * *

Seeing Zuko during training that morning reminded Aang of when they fought at the abbey. And he was also reminded of stealing back Katara's necklace, and the favor Katara had asked of him.

After they were done training, Aang hesitated before leaving, wondering if he should do it.

"What's wrong Aang? You weren't concentrating at all today," Zuko said, seeing the look on the boys face.

Still deliberating, Aang decided he'd better do it, knowing it would make Katara happy.

He walked over to the Firebender and—standing on his tip-toes—placed a kiss on Zuko's cheek.

"What the--?" Zuko yelled, backing away from Aang, his face beet red. "What's the matter with you?" he yelled, wiping his cheek frantically with his palm.

Aang shrugged and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Katara had asked me to do it."

Zuko's hand stopped rubbing and rested on his cheek. He was very confused. Very disturbed, but also pleasantly confused.

"Aang?" he caught the boy just as he was leaving.

"Yes Sifu Zuko?"

"I don't think Katara actually meant for you to do it…"

The look on Aang's face was priceless.

* * *

**A/N: **I must have been watching an old episode one day to come up with this. I can totally see Aang doing something like this, can't you? Maybe he didn't get the sarcasm in Katara's voice or something, but...I can see him doing it. If you can too, please REVIEW! I made a rhyme! *Happy Dance*


	24. 71 Music

**Disclaimer:** Please remain seated until the page has come to a complete stop. Keep hand on mouse. Thank you. Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to announce that after 23 drabbles, I still do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

She sits down noisily next to him on the old log. She rests her elbows on her knees, her chin in her hands and sighs. Zuko looks at her from the corner of his eye. "I miss the noise," she says.

"What?"

She looks at him and raises an eyebrow. Then sighs again. "It's too quiet."

"It's a temple. It's night. Everyone is sleeping."

"Not _just _at night. No one talks here…ever!"

"So…"

"So I just wish that it would be a little less quiet! Animal sounds…talking…music…anything! I wouldn't care if someone played an instrument so badly it made my ears bleed…I just want some noise." She gets up after a while of silence between them and huffs away with a yawn, muttering about how 'at least quiet is good for sleeping…G'night Zuko…'

Zuko mutters good-night to her as well. _…music…_

It was at times like these that Zuko _really_ wished he had learned to play the sungi horn…

* * *

**A/N:** This one isn't all that Zutara-y-ish, unless you count the fact that Zuko wants to make Katara happy...Idunnoknow. It seems to me my submissions are getting lamer, and lamer, and lamer. Please review to get my spirits back up.


	25. 114 Going Home

**Disclaimer:** The day penguins move to the Sahara Desert is the day that I will own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Then we can all go Penguin-Sand-Dune-Sledding!

* * *

She had never planned to live this life. She always thought the farthest she would journey away from her village would be the occasional trip to the ice patches for fishing. She never thought she'd see the world. Much less the Fire Nation palace.

She never planned to befriend _anyone._ Let alone the Avatar, or the _Princess_ of the Northern Watertribe, or the _Prince_ of the Fire Nation. But she did. And she ended up engaged to him.

And although she didn't plan it, the unexpected turn her life took didn't turn out so badly.

But then she became sick of it all.

She longed for the snow and ice of the South Pole. She longed to see her family, her _real _family, her Gran-Gran and her father.

So she was going home.

She left in the night. She didn't tell him. She wouldn't have been able to leave if she had told him outright. And she knew he wouldn't have let her go either.

She dressed in blue and caught the first ship to the South Pole. She was there one week later.

And he wasn't far behind her.

* * *

To live you need a heart.

He gave his heart to her, but she ran away with it. Without his heart he cannot live. And she silently begged him not to follow. But he's never been very good at following orders. So he's going to her to reclaim it.

And as he is packing his uncle asks him where he is going.

The Fire Lord looks up and out the window, to the sea, and he thinks that in the distance he can see the ice caps of the South Pole. They say home is where the heart is. "I'm going home," he says.

* * *

**A/N: **I really like this drabble. Probably because I love the saying "Home is where the Heart is". It also seems very Zutara-ish.

We are 1/4 of the way to 100! YAY!!


	26. 32 Child

**Disclaimer: **The following is a resemblence to real persons, living and dead, and is intentionally coincidental. The imaginary characters representing the real persons are not mine. They belong to Mike and Bryan, the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Because I am neither Mike nor Bryan, I do not own them.

* * *

I smiled as Takeo rushed into my arms. Before we left the day care he was already babbling to me in his baby-slurred voice about his day. I waved goodbye to a tired-looking Maia, the matron of the day care facility. Up to her elbows in young children, all under five years old, who were trying to climb the walls and using their premature bending powers to singe, drown, and throw rocks at each other.

I sighed and carried Takeo out of the day care as he kept baby-babbling.

Keeping Takeo balanced on my hip, I walked down the sidewalk of the city. I shifted Takeo higher on my hip—he was getting too heavy and too old to be carried around like a little toddler. He was already four years old. I looked into his beautiful baby face and studied his blue eyes, so much like my own.

"Look Auntie," Takeo said, pointing to a window in the building across the street. "That man is waving at us."

I squinted into the setting sun that glared off the window my nephew pointed at. Takeo waved to the man that I could not see. I stopped walking and studied the building. "Look into the window Auntie. Wave with me," Takeo said, poking at my arm, his eyes never leaving the man I could not see.

As the sun dipped lower and stopped sending a glare at the glass windows, I saw a man sitting in the window of the second floor. He was waving. I lifted a hand in greeting and waved back although I had no idea who he was.

"That man is always sitting there, Auntie. He always waves at me. We're friends," Takeo said.

I pursed my lips. I didn't like the idea of a man 'befriending' my nephew. Men who did that…they scared me. "I never noticed him before, Takeo."

"He's there every day, Auntie. He works in the building."

"Then we should let him get back to his work. Shouldn't we?"

"I guess so," Takeo sighed.

He turned one last time to wave goodbye to his friend.

The man didn't wave back this time. He stared down at me, intensely, as if trying to hold me where I stood on the pavement. I shivered. "We should go Takeo, your mother and father are probably wondering where we are," I said, and began walking with Takeo bouncing against my hip.

He turned around to watch as the man disappeared from the window, returning to his work after a short break.

I always took Takeo home that way.

* * *

"Are you waiting for her again?"my boss asked.

I was sitting on the window ledge in my office, one foot propped on the sill, the other resting on the floor. "Maybe."

"If you spent half as much time at your desk doing paperwork as you do sitting and staring out this window, you would've had that promotion weeks ago." Mr. Pakku sat down in one of the two overstuffed chairs in my office.

"I like seeing her," I said simply, looking up the sidewalk.

"You should like doing your job, too."

I didn't answer him then. There she was, toting the child up the sidewalk. Black knee-length skirt, blue shirt underneath an unbuttoned white blouse. Black flats. I sighed.

"She here?" Pakku asked unnecessarily. I felt him come up behind me. "She's beautiful."

I lifted my hand to wave to her little boy. He always waved back at me. Today the woman stopped walking and looked up to my window, shielding her eyes from the setting sun, looking in the direction her son was pointing. Then she too waved.

I smiled at seeing her smile. Her son said something to her and almost as suddenly as it had come, her beautiful smile vanished. In that one moment I could see every thought that ran across her face. She thought I was a danger to her son. She thought I was a bad man. She wasn't going to stand for any more interactions between myself and her son. She was going to leave.

I folded my hand in my lap, my smile fading as her expression grew harsh.

I stared intently into her face. From my second story window I could see how anger only enhanced her already beautiful features.

She said something to her son and his face fell as well. Waving goodbye to me one more time, they began to walk down the street again. The boy turned and watched me over his mother's shoulder.

I imagined them going home to a beautiful little house with a garden. He would squirm out of his mother's arms and run to his father who would be sitting at a desk doing paperwork.

Pakku clapped me on the shoulder, bringing me back from the quaint little house with the garden to the four drab walls of my office. "She's out of your league, Zuko. She's probably married, that would explain the kid. Now get back to that paperwork. Wang Fire wants his contract drawn up by Thursday."

"Sure thing," I said, pressing my head against the cool glass.

I assumed the child was hers. They had the same dark hair; same skin tone, his just a bit lighter. But I couldn't remember seeing the glint of a wedding band coming from her finger.

* * *

**A/N: **Here's a longer one. It's actually based on the story my Grandma told me of how she and my Grandpa met. My Grandma's brother had a young son and because she was a teacher at the school he went to day-care at she would always walk him home. She'd walk by a law office where my Grandpa worked and everyday he'd sit in the window and watch her. He thought the boy (actually her brother's son) was hers. I really liked that story and so that's my inspiration for this.

I PUT WANG FIRE IN MY DRABBLE!! Don't look at me like that.

Takeo...where in the world did that come from?? I have no idea, I needed a name for Sokka's son and I couldn't think of one, so I kinda made one up using the much needed assistance of the SpellCheck in Word. Please someone have a better name!

Review! Did ya like it?


	27. 166 Damned

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I also do not own the song. Consider this a warning: For best results don't put this in your mouth; you don't know where it's been. For even better results, avoid doing anything stupid to this page. Thank you.

--The Management

* * *

"I'll be damned if I ever hurt her," he told her brother the day they were married.

This didn't convince the warrior. He turned and looked the Firebender directly in his face—his gaze fixed on his brother-in-law's scarred eye. "You already are."

* * *

Everyone knew of the depth of his love for her. She was his entire world. And their new-born child meant even more to him because of her sacrifice.

They had all expected him to hate the child for taking his love from him. Taking his love—taking his life. They expected him to neglect it—to be a poor father.

They had expected him to start drinking, anything to get his mind off of her.

But he didn't. And when her brother asked why he never did anything, never remarried or fell in love again, he looked at his small, frail and only child. She had her mother's deep blue eyes and a temper to match even the strongest of hurricanes. He smiled and answered, "Agni took her from me too early, I know she's waiting for me. You said I was damned, but I know he sent her to heaven, and I figure that as long as I'm good, he'll send me to her someday."

_Oh where, oh where can my baby be?_

_The Lord took her away from me_

_She's gone to heaven, so I've got to be good_

_So I can see my baby when I leave this world. _

_Last Kiss—Pearl Jam_

* * *

**A/N: **I love that song. Not necessarily Pearl Jam, just that one song. It is a beautiful song and the lyrics, when they aren't repeating, are great. Listen to it if you haven't heard of it already. It is such a Zutara song...or maybe its just me who thinks that. Anyone else?


	28. 234 Better

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Furthermore, if your application demands constant uninterrupted ceaseless unremitting everlasting endless persistent perpetual permanent existence, please contact a qualified quantum mechanic. I am also not a qualified quantum mechanic.

* * *

I am getting better at this grief thing, my love.

Uncle wanted me to attend support group meetings for people who have lost their spouses, but that was where I drew the line. It was bad enough that he made me meditate and pray and drink hot-leaf-juice ten times a day. But I am getting better.

I had begun to talk to them about our daughter, and how everyday she seemed to grow more and more like you. I talked about how little of me and how much of you there is in her. I talked about how our daughter absolutely loves that awful hot-leaf-juice Uncle always makes. But most importantly, I talked.

I talked to Sokka. And Aang. And Toph.

I told them that I had decided I would never marry again, that I didn't care if the rules for the country demanded there be two rulers. I ruled now, and they would have to abide by my laws.

I boasted to Sokka about our daughter's achievements.

But most importantly, I was functioning.

In fact, no disrespect meant, because I always think about you, but I haven't cried since the monsoon season. In fact, I hardly cry at all anymore.

That's partly because she is finally beginning to understand why she doesn't have two parents like most other children.

And it's partly because I'm beginning to come to terms with this tragedy.

I still think about you though, all the time.

Especially when it rains.

Because when it rains I drop my façade and I don't pretend to be happy or alive or functioning or anything at all.

When it rains, that is the only time that I cry.

But, my dear Katara, I am getting better…

* * *

**A/N: **This is a requested sequel to Chapter 27: Damned. I had two drabbles in mind that my sister and I were pondering over. We couldn't decide because I wanted one and she wanted the other, so I had to teach her how to play odds and evens. Odds won, hence we have this drabble instead of the one that I wanted. So we came up with the compromise that I would submit mine after hers as sequel to a sequel. So the next one could have been this one and this one could have been the next one. But it isn't.

My sister says, "Y'wanna buy a duck?".........Its a really long story.


	29. 190 Truth

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nor am I French. So, Ceci n'est pas une pipe (As the French so foppishly say). Look it up. I dare ya.

* * *

"Daddy?"

Zuko looked at his daughter sadly.

"Daddy, why'd He take Momma away?"

Zuko smiled half-heartedly. How do you explain to your young child—not yet older than ten—that her mother is dead? That she'll never be here?

Forcing the tears back, he told his daughter—in what he hoped was an unwavering voice—what his uncle had told him when his own mother died. "Agni wouldn't let her live. Her heart was just too big. Too full of love and kindness for life itself."

It wasn't a lie, Zuko knew this. And yet at the same time, he knew it wasn't the truth either.

A tear slipped silently down his cheek as he turned back to the picture frame.

* * *

**A/N: **This is the alternate sequel to Chapter 27: Damned. I like this one better, but like I said before, my sister won at odds and evens and so we had to put the other drabble before this one. Or else we'd be tempting fate.

Which one do you like better? REVIEW!!

By the way, Ceci n'est pas une pipe, according to a French, online translator, means "This is not a pipe."

I take Spanish so if anyone speaks French, and that's not what it means, please tell me.


	30. 42 Rejection

**Disclaimer: **It is not even funny how tired I am. I'm so tired I make new mother look rested. So at this moment in time I couldn't care less about having a decent disclaimer or not. So hree is the spitud, uroiignnal, pailn old and orsuveed dasilmicer: I do not own Aatvar: The Lsat Aniredebr.

* * *

"No, Aang."

"But Katara…"

"Aang, listen to me. I love you, but I'm not _in_ love with you."

She grabbed him in a hug, which he only half-heartedly returned. "You're like the brother I never had."

* * *

She sighed. "Haru, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why not Katara?"

"First of all, I wouldn't want it to ruin our friendship. It would be awkward if things ended…badly. I don't want to lose you as a friend." She placed her hand comfortingly on the young man's cheek before walking away.

* * *

She was waiting for him to speak out to her. Confess the love that she hoped he felt.

But he had seen her reject them both. So he never spoke out, afraid that he too would be rejected.

And so another love was left unspoken.

Which meant that Toph had some _serious_ work ahead of her.

* * *

**A/N: **In acrocncde wtih a wsetibe, it dnoes't mtaetr waht oedrr the ltertes of a wrod are in as lnog as the frsit lteter of the wrod and the lsat lteetr of the wrod are the smae. I tnihk its kdnia cool. Dno't you gyus? Ya, I'm treid but not terid egonuh to not do snehmitog cool and cfsnionug to ya'll.


	31. 39 Different

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nor do I know what it is like to kiss either Aang or Jet or Haru. This drabble is purely a work of fiction. If it does however, bear any resemblance to any events or persons, then deal with it. For those of you whose lives it does resemble, this may be used for educational puposes.

* * *

He kissed her differently than Aang or Jet or Haru had.

Aang's kisses were always so desperate. And wet. In truth it repulsed her.

Jet's had always been hard. His were impatient, needing more than she was ready to give, and pushing her to give it.

Haru had kissed her gently, like she was easily breakable. He didn't give her nearly enough, like he was afraid of her.

But _his_ kisses were different. His lips were desperate, like if he didn't get enough he'd die. His were patient, yet she could tell he wanted so much more. And though he kissed her gently, there was an immeasurable intensity behind them that she had never felt before.

Katara liked the way Zuko kissed her.

It was…different.

* * *

**A/N: **Not much to say about this one. I like it, but the real question is do you guys? Like I stated in my disclaimer, I do not know what it is like to kiss either Aang or Jet or Haru. This is just how I imagine Katara describing how they kiss her. If anyone _does_ know what it is like to kiss either Aang or Jet or Haru, please correct me if I'm wrong on any accounts. No questions asked.

I don't care how Zuko kisses because he's Zuko and therefore his kisses will always be amazing.


	32. 157 Crush

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. This is a printout for reference only. Do not write below this line:

* * *

It was just a crush. They hadn't been lovers, and back then she _certainly_ had not wanted anything to do with him. He didn't blame her either. They were together for survival. That was that.

But as he sees her talking animatedly with his wife, he thinks back to those days when they were young. The days where they could throw around insults at each other without some member of nobility starting a rumor that they were only fighting to hide an affair. The days where they could spar each other half-clothed and no one would think anything out of the ordinary. He missed those carefree days of their friendship. Of just being friends. Nothing more. After all, it was just a crush.

But when she throws her head back and they laugh together at something he did once, he only has eyes for her. And he realizes that maybe it had been more than a crush after all.

* * *

**A/N: **GASP!! Who is Zuko's wife if it isn't Katara??

My Disclaimer's and my A/N's are becoming longer than the actual drabble. So therefore, I believe I must make my drabbles longer. Or my pointless rambling could be cut short...

I need inspiration!! Please REVIEW!! Send requests or challenges! Thank youz!


	33. 305 Till

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. [Insert amazingly awesome and super wonderful disclaimer here].

* * *

She stood her dolls on the platform of snow she had had her father craft for her. "Do you, Prince Charming take Miss Snowflake to be your wife?" she asked, playing preacher. "'Yes'," she said, bringing her voice down. "And do you Miss Snowflake take Prince Charming to be your husband? 'Yes'," she finished, taking on a soprano voice. The young girl smiled happily at her dolls. "Then I now pronounce you man and wife."

She touched her dolls' faces together.

* * *

"I'll love you forever," he whispered, his voice low in her ear.

Even after all this time, she could never get used to the feeling of his mouth so close to her body. She shivered. "I'll love you till the end of my life," she said.

He leaned over her small body that was curled against his and plucked a blade of grass. He sat up and concentrated on intertwining it with others. She raised herself up as well and ducked beneath his arms. She watched his large hands work to make a small, intricate ring.

He finished braiding the long blade of grass. "I know that this isn't the custom, but it's all I have to show my love for you." He reached for her left hand and held it in his own. "Do you, beautiful Katara, take me to be your one and only love?" His amber eyes never left her face as he spoke.

"I do. And do you, Zuko, take me to love forever?"

"I do. For forever and beyond…"

"…till death do us part," she whispered, unable to find her voice.

His hand shook as he slipped the grass ring onto the third finger of her left hand. Like she used to do with her dolls all those years ago, she smiled as they sealed their promise to each other. It wasn't a proper exchange of vows, but it was also much more than just words.

* * *

**A/N:** This was a really hard drabble to write. It was a challange from a reviewer [See that people!! I can do challenges!!] and the challenge was the word "Till". I had absolutely no idea what to write it about and then I was in a bookstore and I saw this book called "As Long As We Both Shall Live" by I-Can't-Remember-The-Author's-Name and it got me thinking of weddings. And then I came home and turned on my computer and was like...WOW!! "Till Death Do Us Part"!! So reviewer who will remain anonymous unless they wish otherwise, but I hope you know who you are, here is the drabble. I hope I made you happy!

If anyone knows the name of the author of "As Long As We Both Shall Live" please review. And please review even if you don't know the author's name!


	34. 169 Swimming

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I also do not pretend to know how to be a swim instructor.

* * *

He kept his hands beneath her, supporting her back as he held her in the water.

"Arch your back. Try to stay on top of the water," he told her. After a few moments, he withdrew his hands, allowing her to float by herself.

She collapsed into the waves, and came up spitting water. She shook her head and looked at him with blue eyes. She sighed.

He smiled. "Honestly, have you ever heard of a Waterbender who couldn't swim?" he asked.

"Well, have you ever heard of a Firebender who could?" she retorted.

And so, the swimming lessons formally began.

* * *

**A/N:** I know, realistically its probably not likely that Katara is a Waterbender who doesn't know how to swim. But for the purpose of this drabble...use your _imaaginnaaations!_ [Draws rainbow in the air like they do on Spongebob].

I think this is a really cute drabble. Review if you think so too! And review even if you don't!


	35. 134 Facade

**Disclaimer:** Due to the corny subject material following this disclaimer, I reccommend you cover your keyboard with your pillow. In four out of five tests done with this drabble, the subjects were shown to have fallen asleep. That being said, I am not liable for any damage to your keyboard your falling head may cause. I also do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

Tears welled in her eyes.

"You don't love him. You don't have to do this."

"I know."

"Then why?" he pleaded.

"I don't know…"she sobbed. "I have to…for the world. It's what he wants."

He wanted so badly to calm her tears; kiss them away like he used to do. He wanted to close the gap between them, envelop her with his arms and never let her go. But protocol forbade it. She was getting married. "But what do you want?"

She looked up at him. His usual stoic mask had been tossed aside, showing plainly the pain on his scarred face. "I want you."

"It can be me. You can come back with me. It's still not too late."

"I want to, so badly. I do."

"Then come. Come back with me."

"I can't. I have to…I have to."

"I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered.

"I'll pretend to be happy for you."

She could barely look at him. "I'm sorry."

* * *

The Avatar knew she was unhappy. He knew he wasn't what she wanted. So he let her go.

And later that day, a Fire Lord and a Waterbending Master left for the Fire Nation.

Aang waved goodbye to his only love, but he pretended to be happy.

* * *

**A/N: **I kinda feel sorry for Aang, because he never gets what he wants in the end of any of the Zutara drabbles. But now I'm over it because I like Zutara more than I worry about Aang's feelings. He'll recover. That's why Taang was invented.

If you liked this review! If you fell asleep, I'm sorry.

I do accept challenges, prompts, or REVIEWS with topics you want me to write about. Gimme a favorite quote and I'll use it in the next drabble!

I'm desperate, can you tell?


	36. 308 Cue

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. If my status should change I will keep ya'll informed. In the mean time, enjoy this sample of what would happen if I owned Avatar: The Last Airbender. It is fortified with 9 essential nutrients to help build strong bodies 12 different ways.

* * *

"You wanted to talk to me?" he asked, sitting down next to her on the steps to what once was his family's vacation home.

"Yes," she said.

"Then talk."

She looked at him and raised her eyebrow. "Fine. This might sound a little forward, but…I don't know how to say it any other way."

"Just apologize to me."

"What?"

"I forgive you."

"For what?"

"You weren't going to apologize to me?" Zuko asked.

"Of course not," she exclaimed. "_I_ have nothing to apologize for, Backstabber."

"Then I have nothing to listen to. Good-night, _Sugar Queen_," he sneered, shoving off the steps and walking across the courtyard.

"Wait, Zuko!" Katara stood from the steps. Zuko stopped walking and sighed, irritated."Please let me say what I wanted to say."

"You can say it, but I won't listen," he said, folding his arms across his chest.

She took a deep breath. "I'm sorry for not trusting you, but I've seen the way you talk to Toph and encourage Aang. I see the way you try to befriend my brother and how you were so much of a big brother to the Duke. I'm sorry I wasn't a friend to you. But I think I want to be—and I know this sounds weird because I've always given the impression that I hate you, but I don't think I do. Anymore. I don't think I hate you. I think I might like you."

Her fingers wound around themselves as she spoke, captivating Zuko. He tried not to listen, but her voice invaded his mind. "You weren't paying attention were you?" she asked.

"What am I supposed to say to that?" he whispered more to the night than to the young girl standing in the moonlight. More silent moments passed between them before she spoke.

"Now would be your cue to say something back."

Cricket-hoppers chirped somewhere near the fountain in the courtyard. His brain told him to continue in the opposite direction but his feet moved forward of their own accord and stopped in front of her. He sighed as his hand came to rest against her cheek. She looked up at him with her big blue eyes. "I don't take cues," he said before closing the gap between their lips.

* * *

**A/N:** This drabble was a challenge sent to me by a reviewer. Just think, daydream...the next drabble could be the challenge YOU send to me.

The challenge was "Cue". And being involved in almost every school play, I instantly thought of "Cue Line!" and then I thought of "ZUTARA!". So that's how this came to be.

So, as was mentioned in the past several A/Ns, I accept challenges. Whether I do a good job on them or not...not my fault.

Review!


	37. 163 Instead

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nor do I own the amazing song that gave me inspiration for this drabble: "Over and Over" by Three Days Grace.

* * *

…_I know what's good for me_

"She's obviously the better choice," the Waterbender sobbed. "She's what they want for you."

Zuko watched as she packed her bags, ripping out clothes from the closet and shoving them in her trunks. "I know, but it's my life and I won't let them control it!" he shouted.

"Dammit Zuko!" she cried. "She's good for you. Just announce her as your fiancée."

He moved closer to his love and wrapped his arms around her waist, receiving no response from her angry form. "I know she's good for me. She'll be good for the country, but I've always been selfish; I want you."

_but I want you instead..._

_-:-_

_"Over and Over" by Three Days Grace_

* * *

**A/N: **I really like that song. I like TDG, too, just some of their songs I think are a little too screamy. I know this kind of drabble is a bit overdone, but I kinda hoped that the song would make it somewhat unique.

Did I succeed? Review!


	38. 209 Pair

**Disclaimer:** I think whoever coined the phrase, "When you wish upon a star, you're dreams come true" **cough**Cinderella**cough** should be shot. It doesn't work. I still do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. In happier news, at least she found her Prince.

* * *

Zuko winces as Aang places his hand low on her waist. She smiles politely and then moves it away, glancing at him as she does.

He forces a smile and then leaves their small gathering by the campfire.

He knows she is only pretending, but it hurts to see her with someone else. And she knows that, so she tries not to do more to upset him. But when they finally have their few stolen moments together he knows she loves him best. And when she's not crying about how sorry she is for hurting him, it is he who is apologizing for tearing her in two.

What a funny pair we make, she says.

Yes, he answers, but a pair nonetheless.

* * *

**A/N: **I am sorry for this horrible excuse for a drabble. I'm probably not going to be able to update anything anytime soon, so for all the many number of reviewers *cough*one*cough*, it will take a while to update with your challenge.


	39. 59 Letting Go

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do own this crappy drabble. For your own safety, read at own risk. And do not wear while ironing.

* * *

The fire crackled. The Waterbender rolled over in her sleep, her dark hair spread out like a halo on her makeshift pillow. The Firebender looked at her as she sighed peacefully.

The Avatar and the Firebender sat close to the fire—for once no hostile feelings filled the gap between them. Aang looked sadly at his sleeping friend and then turned his attention to Zuko. With one look at the older boy, Aang knew. He recognized the tenderness in Zuko's gaze.

"I used to look at her that way…I _still_ look at her that way," Aang said. Zuko opened his mouth to speak, but Aang continued, "The Guru told me that to master the Avatar State I had to give up my earthly attachments—Katara. But I wasn't ready—I'm still not ready. I'm not sure I'll ever be ready. I _want_ to take care of her, protect her. I want to _be_ with her forever. But I guess that can't be…" Aang trailed off.

"She doesn't need protecting," Zuko said, looking back at the Waterbender. "And she'll never leave you. She loves you."

"I know, but it's not the way I love her. I love her so much, and because I do, I have to let her go."

"Why?"

"I'm the Avatar. As long as this war continues I will be in danger wherever I go. And so will she if she stays with me. I don't want her getting hurt. I want to, but I won't always be there to protect her. My duty is to the world. But you can give her protection, Zuko. You're made for each other. You're her perfect match," Aang sighed. "That's why, as long as she will be safe, I know I can finally let her go."

* * *

**A/N: **I dunno about ya'll but I like the idea of Aang not being a whiny and selfish little kid and showing maturity by doing what is best for the world rather than for his own selfish self. I mean first running away from his problems and making them worse, and then practically cornering Katara and forcing her to be with him...now I'm just ranting.

This drabble is because I feel bad giving you guys a really crappy, short drabble and then disappearing for a week. *Ducks objects that will most likely be thrown* Don't count on seeing me anytime this next week. School is starting to pick up cause our marking period is ending soon and all the teachers are assigning projects and papers and tests.


	40. 45 Future

**Disclaimer:** Warning: If you are reading this then this warning is for you. Every word you read of this useless disclaimer is another second off your life. Don't you have other things to do? Is your life so empty that you honestly can't think of a better way to spend these moments? Or are you so impressed with this disclaimer that you give respect and credence to all that claim it? Do you read everything you're supposed to read? Do you think everything you're supposed to think? Buy what you're told to want? Get out of your apartment. Meet some people. Stop excessively shopping. Quit your job. Start a **fight**. Prove you're alive. If you don't claim your humanity you will become a statistic. You have been warned. Oh, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, not mine. You have again been warned. Have a nice day.

* * *

"No, Zuko! I can't stay!"

"Why not?"

"Toph knows."

"Would she really tell?"

"I don't know."

"Will your brother be coming?"

She nodded. "Maybe Aang too, if she told them both…"

"How soon will they be here?"

"I don't know."

"Then stay for a minute."

"That's not long enough." She struggled to get up, but he only held her closer.

He smiled. "Then stay for an hour," he whispered into her hair

"I can't…you know that…"

"Stay forever!"

"I want to but I-"

"Katara?" Aang's voice pierced the bubble of happiness they had conjured. "Katara? Are you here?"

She gave one last look at Zuko. "I'll see you in the morning…okay?" Tears brimmed behind her eyes. "I'm right here, Aang, give me a minute."

He watched her get up and fasten the white sash around her deep blue tunic. "Katara…" She turned. He pulled her hand down and her body followed, allowing him to kiss her fully on the mouth. "I love you. I'll love you forever."

"I know. I have to go."

It hurt more than ever to watch her go, knowing that his future lay inside the small box in his pocket, and with her answer.

* * *

**A/N: **I'm back. But only for a short time. School's been crazy and I've been overloaded with work. If I find time to update soon-ly then I will.

This drabble is loosely based on some dialogue from West Side Story--the modern day Romeo & Juliet. So sad. I can totally picture Zuko and Katara as a Romeo and Juliet story. Anyone else?

Oh, and the first reviewer to tell me where the dialogue from my disclaimer is from gets a drabble of their choice. Just so everyone knows I changed some words to make it fit with the drabble-ness and edited it for some content. But if you guess the MOVIE/BOOK that it is from and WHO is saying it, you'll get points. The word in bold is a clue to the title of the Movie/Book. I'm making this much too easy...


	41. 170 More

**Disclaimer:** (Insert funny disclaimer here). I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

"You really like him don't you?" the Earthbender asked.

"Yes," she answered.

"Do you love him?"

The older girl thought about lying, but knew it would be no use. "Maybe…I don't know."

The Earthbender smiled. "How much do you love him?"

The Waterbender looked up from stirring their dinner. She gazed at Zuko from beneath her eyelashes. "Definitely more than he loves me."

The Firebender felt her gaze on him. He stopped sparring with Aang and stared at the girl beside the dinner pot. It was only when Aang shot a blast of air at him that Zuko broke the short gaze they had managed to steal. Katara looked away and, blushing, returned her attention to their dinner.

"I can tell you're lying," the Earthbender sang.

* * *

**A/N: **Zutara just isn't Zutara without Toph.

I think this one is cute. It just screams: CUTENESS! I AM CUTE!! READ ME!! AND THEN REVIEW!!...Okay, so maybe I'm putting words in its mouth.


	42. 300 Gullible

**Disclaimer:** So I was reading a website article on about what to do if you do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, like me, and it said to consult a physician if problem persists or worsens. Is anyone out there a doctor?

* * *

"Katara, you've been spending a lot of time with Zuko recently," her brother observed.

"I have?"

"Yes. And it had better not be for the reason I think it is…"

"Sokka you're not serious…"

"I know he's one of the only boys you've ever really met. And he is older…"

"Meat Man, shut up! As usual, you have tried to put two and two together and have gotten five. You are wrong," Toph shouted.

"Toph knows why and I don't! I'm family, Katara!" Sokka exclaimed.

"No, Sokka. She's just…tired of your voice. And that's…definitely not why I've been with Zuko lately."

"Then why are you spending so much time with him?"

"Because…I…well Gran-Gran always said to keep your friends close and your enemies closer. And I still consider Zuko an enemy."

Sokka didn't speak for several moments. Katara wasn't sure if that was because he had bought her alibi and decided to leave the matter alone, or whether he was trying to find fault with her excuse. She knew he wasn't so smart as to think of the latter. "You know," he said finally, "that's a good idea Katara. Keep doing that." He patted his younger sister on the shoulder as he ran over to Appa's saddle.

Katara sighed as her brother grabbed his pack and ran off. "Hey, Zuko! You wanna come hunting with me, Buddy?"

"Nice lie, Sugar Queen," Toph congratulated her friend.

Katara shrugged and waved as her brother and boyfriend left the campsite together. "I'm surprised he bought it."

* * *

**A/N: **I love how Sokka gives authors the ability to make him so oblivious. But I'm sure he's actually not as stupid as he looks. Oh, and the nick-name "Meat Man", I just thought we needed to take a break from using "Snoozles".

Anyway, what Toph said about putting two and two together and getting five, as always, was something I stole from my math teacher. Math class always makes my day. My math teacher said almost that exact same line to one of the kids in my class who always gets on his nerves and is always trying to shout out the answer in class and eleven times out of ten, he is wrong.

Review!


	43. 35 Since Zuko Arrived

**Disclaimer:** Last night I saw a shooting star and I wished really really hard that I would wake up the next morning and be Mike or Bryan. I went to sleep. I woke up. I was still me. So no, I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender...stupid, shooting balls of gas...

* * *

Since Zuko arrived, Aang had been noticing things.

Toph was acting more like a girl. She was spending more time with Katara and not poking fun at people as much. Especially him. And she always seemed like she was distracted during their training sessions. Which was strangely unlike her.

Katara threw herself into monitoring his and Zuko's training practice. She was always watching them together. She would stay up later and explore the Air Temple whenever she could, going off alone for hours. It seemed to Aang she was slacking on her chores a little.

Zuko had become less reclusive, actually emerging for some meals. He was also helping Katara around the camp. A lot. And trying to befriend Sokka. Which was entirely to his surprise as the two were almost sworn enemies.

Sokka was…well Sokka was still Sokka. He was spending a lot of time with Teo, designing inventions that may or may not be built or even work. He didn't seem to notice anything was out of place…except for when Katara was late cooking dinner.

And Aang knew the exact reasons behind each.

Toph liked Zuko.

Katara liked him.

Zuko was trying to make up for repeatedly trying to capture and kill them.

And Sokka, well, Sokka was Sokka.

..........................................................................................................

Although he was the Avatar, Aang's insight was equivalent to a badgermole's vision.

* * *

**A/N:** Whew. Sorry it took super long to update. But at least I'm back, and not dead, or fallen off the face of the earth, but I'm not quite so sure I'm alive either. Sinus headaches = killer. So that's what you can blame this sucky drabble on...my impared judgement due to many milligrams of decongestent, herbal tea and a throbing cranium. UGH.

Sympathizers, please review. Empathizers, please review. All others, please review.


	44. 182 Heaven

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I also do not own any rights to the song that I drew inspiration for this drabble from. Wow, I can't believe this disclaimer didn't include anything amusing...hmm.

* * *

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere with drops of Jupiter in her hair_

_------------_

"You were away again," he noted Monday morning. It wasn't a question—although it may well have been—but a statement of the perceived truth.

"Yes," she answered simply as she slid into the chair beside him.

"Where did you go?" That was a question.

Her gaze shot briefly to the dark haired student at the lab table to her right. His head snapped down as her gaze met his. _He had been staring. _She turned to look at her long time friend, choosing her words wisely so as not to hurt him. "I travelled the universe," she said.

He snorted. "You can't travel the universe in four days. It's scientifically impossible."

She hid a smile as their professor entered the room, demanding that they all continue their discussions after class.

He was quiet for a while before whispering, "Really, where did you go?"

"I travelled the universe," she said again.

She could tell he rolled his eyes. "And what did you do?" he whispered.

For once in his life, her professor seemed to make himself useful, interrupting their discussion. "Would you like to share with the class the enticing details of your expedition, Miss Katara?"

For the second time in the class, the dark haired boy with the deep amber eyes and the mysterious scar turned away, embarrassed to be caught staring at the beautiful blue eyed girl. "I travelled the universe," she repeated, yet again. She remembered the days she spent with him. How it felt to throw the rulebook out the window and live life as she pleased, without worrying what others would think, or how they would judge. She remembered what it was like to feel his warm skin against hers. She—even now—could still hear the ringing of his voice, whispering calming, comforting and loving words in her ears. She remembered what it was like to feel…wicked. She smiled at Zuko before continuing. "And I discovered that heaven is overrated."

_Hell feels so much better…_

_------------_

_Tell me, did you sail across the sun  
Did you make it to the Milky Way to find the lights all faded  
And that Heaven is overrated?_

_---  
Train: Drops of Jupiter_

* * *

**A/N: **SIGH. I love that song. Quite possibly one of the best songs ever written. So those lines were where I especially drew inspiration from. And the line about feeling...wicked...well I kinda stole that from the play, Wicked, which is, quite possibly, the best play on Broadway. I love how Idina Menzel says that line after singing ALAYM with Fiyero. So when you read that line here, if you know what I'm talking about, try to say it like that.

Review if you like Train. Review if you like Wicked. Review if you liked my drabble!


	45. 232 Fire Lady

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. That would be Mike and Bryan. I do not own Microsoft. That would be Bill Gates. I do not own Domino's Pizza. That would be Tom Monaghan. I'm not sure who owns the Walt Disney corporation, but I can assure you that it is not me. I own this drabble...but that probably won't get me very far in life.

* * *

Of all the people that he could have been talking to about this particular matter, it just so happened to be her brother. But her brother knew of his feelings, and although he was not happy with the Firebender's infatuation, he tolerated it because his sister did not seem to return the Firebender's feelings.

Zuko was currently leaning against the fountain in the middle of the courtyard of the Fire Nation Palace. He pressed a block of ice that Aang had graciously froze for him to his face. The swelling from where she had struck him was still not going down. And every so often her brother would get up from his place on the fountains ledge, walk around the fountain and then kneel in front of the Firebender to examine his purple-and-blue eye. Sokka would then cluck his tongue, shake his head, and return to sharpening his boomerang.

"I don't know _why_ you put up with her crap all the time," Sokka spoke. "You always end up hurt. And remember that one time when she used her blood-bending to momentarily kill you and we had to force her to bring you back? Somehow I don't think you'll be as lucky next time."

Zuko groaned and rolled his head back, realizing only too late that when he did so his head would make contact, rather forcefully, with the fountain wall. "It's not like I _plan_ for this to happen."

"You should really start leaving her alone. She'll never warm up to you if you keep antagonizing her."

"I didn't know you knew words larger than three syllables. Do you even know what 'antagonizing' means?"

"Antagonize, aggravate, whatever...Point is Sparky, you'd better stop—"

"We've gone through this already."

"—because if you do I guarantee that eventually she'll be able to forgive you for all the crap you've done to her."

"But I don't want to leave her alone," Zuko argued.

"I'm no doctor, but for your health I'd advise you to," Sokka said, gesturing to Zuko's swollen eye.

"If I leave her alone I won't be _around_ her—"

"Sounds good to me…" Sokka said.

"—but when I'm around her I'm happy."

"But you're never happy."

"I'm only happy when I'm _with_ her."

"_Just_ what a brother wants to hear from the jerk who's in love with his sister…I still don't know why you put yourself through hell just to gain her affections. Girls just naturally flock towards me," Sokka said flexing his biceps and kissing them in turn.

"If Suki could hear you now," Zuko muttered. He rolled his eyes and sighed, "I put myself through hell to be with her because that's the only way I _can_ be with her. I'd rather be miserable and with her, than perfectly fine and not."

Sokka's jaw dropped. He bent down next to Zuko and took hold of the hand that wasn't holding ice to his puffy eye.

"What are you do—"

Sokka's gaze met his and Zuko was more than a little disturbed by their proximity.

"You, my friend," Sokka said, "are deep. And you, my friend, may just be worthy of my sister's affections if you're willing to go through hell—and me—just to be with her."

Zuko smiled widely.

Sokka's smile faded.

"Shit. My sister might one day be the _Fire Lady!"_

* * *

**A/N: **I love writing interactions between Zuko and Sokka about Katara because they can be so amusing! But this one...Eh. It gets kinda crappy towards the end. But hey, I updated twice today!! It's a miracle. And I'll probably update a third time later. That's just how bored I am this weekend. My school goes on break on Wednesday and we don't go back until the 27 because of some scheduling mixup. But I'm not complaining.

I got Zuko's line about being miserable and with her than perfectly fine and without her from somewhere...I think. I just can't remember where...If anyone knows please tell me.

Anyway. Stay tuned for the next drabble update. We're almost to 50!!


	46. 304 Imperfection

**Disclaimer:** Yeah, Avatar: The Last Airbender, not mine. And the chances that I'll ever end up owning Avatar: The Last Airbender are about as good as the chances that the New York Yankees will win the Super Bowl.

* * *

"What can you possibly see in him?" Aang asked.

"What do you mean?"

"He's so…He's just not you, Katara," her friend said, staring at the Firebender.

"Why not?"

"He's…well…"

"I know he's not ideal, Aang, but he loves me."

"I know why he loves you. But why do you love him?"

"Do I need a reason?"

"Yes."

"Why?" she challenged. Aang noticed that the normal sound of rushing water that came from the fountain had stopped. He chanced a look behind him. The water was frozen.

"Because he's…he's got anger problems Katara. He's from a deranged family. He's got a huge scar on his face. He's a Firebender," Aang babbled uselessly.

"Not everyone can be perfect, Aang," she said. Her voice was cold, but her eyes were warm as she stared at Zuko. Across the courtyard, she smiled as he held the Duke and Toph in his arms and spun them around. "That's why I love him. I love his imperfections."

"How? How can you possibly love that monster?"

"He's not a monster, Aang," she snapped. "I love his imperfections because they make me forget about my own."

She stepped around the young Avatar without so much as a backward glance. Aang watched her walk across the courtyard to where Zuko stood, leaning against the temple, wiping his face with his balled up shirt. The Firebender's face lit up as noticed her walking toward him, he opened his arms and she folded herself against his sweaty chest.

Aang turned away as their lips met. "Katara, you are perfect," he whispered to the wind.

* * *

**A/N: **Aww. You can't help but feel a little sorry for Aang. I know I kinda wrote him OOC, a little meaner ("monster") than he really is. Aw well, he is losing the love of his life...That's the way life goes.

Comments? Questions? I can't give a phone number, but you can always REVIEW!! Question: Do you think Aang was OOC for this one?


	47. 309 Quickly Does He Court

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. NOTE: This drabble is based entirely off of actual people and events. I have permission to use this situation because the events happened to my family. So don't sue me, my family, because we probably have the same lawyer.

* * *

I didn't know Mr. Fire. He was Sokka's boss. And when Sokka got the huge promotion he had been working towards I accepted Suki's invitation to celebrate at his boss's house. He was my brother, after all.

I could have been back at the house watching Takeo, eating junk food and watching movies in my pajamas. But I was here. And I wasn't even sure why. I wasn't acquainted with any of Sokka's friends from work.

But when we arrived at Mr. Fire's enormous mansion on the edge of the town, I followed Sokka and Suki through the front door dutifully. I had assumed that Suki would spend the night with me, but as the man-of-the-night's-wife, she was expected on Sokka's arm at all times. Like I said, I wasn't even sure why I came.

I wanted to leave the gathering, but going home early would have been disrespectful to Sokka. I decided that there would be no harm in sitting out on the large patio in the back of the house until things settled down. The deep blue-purple of the night was brightened by the thousands of stars in the sky.

"Miss?" the voice said.

I had been sitting outside for only a few minutes when my visitor came.

"Miss?" the man asked again, sitting down in Mr. Fire's patio chair across the table from me. "Have I seen you before?"

I looked the young man over carefully. "No," I said.

"I have seen you before," he said, leaning back in the chair.

"No," I repeated. "I don't think we've met before."

"Well, we haven't met, I know," he said leaning forward again. "But I've definitely seen you walking down the street. You always walk with that little boy."

My eyes narrowed. "And you are the man in the window."

"Zuko," he said, extending a hand.

"Katara," I said, extending mine cautiously. He snatched it up quickly as if it would disappear in an instant.

"So where's your son?"

"He's my nephew," I said.

His face flashed with emotion so suddenly I couldn't be sure of what it was. "Are you seeing anyone?" he asked.

"No," I said.

Behind me I heard the patio door sliding open. "Katie," Suki's voice called. "We're leaving. The babysitter had an emergency."

"I'm coming Suki," I called, standing from the patio table.

Zuko stood as well. "You're leaving?"

"Yes," I said. "It was nice meeting you."

"And you," he said.

My fingers had just grasped the handle of the door when he called to me. "Will you give me your telephone number?"

I turned. "If you want it."

The stars weren't bright enough to show me the emotion on his face, but I heard it in his voice. "I do," he said.

* * *

Three days later I came home with Takeo and found Suki in my room in the house we shared.

"What are you doing?" I asked, dropping my purse on my bed.

"You have a date."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. I took a call for you."

I groaned. "Suki, why would you do that?"

"The man who called thought I was you. When I tried to refuse he was very persistent," she said, still halfway buried in my closet. She emerged just long enough to smile at me and say, "I like him."

"Did he say what his name was?" I asked, sitting on the bed as Suki continued rifling through my closet.

"Zuko…Zuko something," she said.

"Suki, I barely even know this man."

"He sounded like you were old friends."

"We only met at Sokka's promotion."

"Aha!" Suki cried. She pulled out a blue skirt and tossed it on the bed along with a pressed white blouse. "You'll wear this. And if you'll let me I'll do your hair too."

"Suki, I'm not going out with him. You agreed to go, so you should go."

She stood before me with her hands on her hips. "I'm happily married thank you. And besides, he'd know the difference. Just go. Maybe he won't like you after all." She looked down at her watch. "Get dressed," she commanded. "I told him to pick me—you—up at seven."

I looked skeptically at the outfit she had laid out for me. I sighed, defeated, and began unbuttoning my sweater. "Alright, I'll go."

* * *

Zuko took me on our first date in late spring.  
By Christmastime we were already engaged.

We were married the following summer.

* * *

**A/N:** I am so sorry xyzisme, my faithfully faithful reviewer, that the request took so long to update with. This is a very late sequel to #26 - Child. It required a little research, because the first one was based on a real event, I wanted to continue with the realness of the event, so I had to ask my mom how my grandfather and grandmother actually met, and this is pretty much what happened. They both went to a party and they formally met each other there. And when my grandfather called to ask her on a date, my grandmother wasn't home so her sister-in-law took the message and pretending to be my grandma, accepted the date. So that's what happened.

Review! Did you like it? Send more challenges people! I promise that I won't take forever and a day to update with them. (Promises were made to be broken.)


	48. 113 Love

**Disclaimer:** Avatar: The Last Airbender...not mine. When it is...I'll laugh maniacally, and everyone will be able to hear it...until then, tune your hearing aides to a different channel and get comfortable because I'm not going to own Avatar anytime soon.

* * *

He watched them fighting. The argument was predicted. Zuko had pissed her off, yet again. And truthfully, from a spectator's point of view, it got old.

"When will they ever _stop_?" he groaned.

Iroh placed a hand on the Avatar's shoulder. "They'll never stop fighting. He's a _male_; he's always going to annoy her."

"So, she'll _always_ hate him?" Aang asked, trying to hide the hope in his voice.

Sokka thought about that. "I think a better word is _loathe._"

"Sokka's right," Toph chimed in.

The two boys looked at her. Aang in confusion, and Sokka with…well, confusion. Could he actually have said something that was correct? Something that he wouldn't be made fun of for saying? Something that would not come back to bit him in the butt later?

"A wise old man once told me that love is unconditional but it can also be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable, and strangely easy to mistake for loathing."

Beside her Iroh smiled. "He could never have been more correct."

Sokka's words came back to bite him on the butt and he began to frantically search for his boomerang, trying to remember all the ways his father had shown him to behead an enemy.

And Aang started to glow.

* * *

**A/N: **Uhm, yeah. I thought it was time to do a drabble with a lack of Zutara but at the same time a whole lot of Zutara. And I needed more Toph/Iroh teaming up and crushing Aang/Sokka's hopes and dreams. Hehehe. :-).

Oh, yeah. The quote about love being unconditional...blah, blah...its from the movie "Stardust".

Do you guys like this one? I don't. I don't like a lot of them. Bring my spirits back up. REVIEW!


	49. 200 Happy Ending

**Disclaimer:** "The way we're living makes no sense--Take me back to the age of innocence" - Hollywood : Cute Is What We Aim For. Yeah, just like the song, Avatar: The Last Airbender is not mine. But its not Cute Is What We Aim For's either...at least I don't think it is. Unless Mike and Bryan are secretly in the band. Oh yeah, I can picture it now, can't you: Mike on Drums and Bryan playing the bass. Yeah...picture faded. Enjoy the drabble.

* * *

"Here," he says harshly, though his amber eyes are soft.

"What is it?" she asks.

"It's for you. I brought it in…in case you forget."

She takes the package wrapped in blue from his outstretched hand. "I won't forget. Ever."

He watches in silence as she opens the memory.

Her eyes widen when she realizes what he has given her. She looks at him in surprise. "I can't take this with me."

"No. I brought it for you. Keep it," he says, closing her palm around it. "I…I wish you luck in your new life, just don't ever forget your old one."

When he has gone she opens her hand and studies the all-too-familiar cut of the stone.

"Katara, we have to leave now," Aang says.

She shoves the necklace into her pocket carelessly and looks at her husband.

Behind her, she can still feel his gaze on her back.

_Sometimes_, she thinks,_ love doesn't have a happy ending._

* * *

**A/N: **So my sister and I were on one of our many school breaks and we were on this movie-marathon kick so we were watching all these chick-flicks/romance movies and I got really fed up with seeing every single one of them have a somewhat-happy ending. And I began to search for a movie that didn't have a happy ending, but I couldn't find one. So here's a kind of unhappy ending where Katara ends up with Aang--BUT SHE REALLY LOVES ZUKO SO ALL YOU ANGRY ZUTARA-SHIPPERS PLEASE PUT DOWN YOUR PITCHFORKS!!

Anyway...This is one of my favorites. And unfortunately, I think this may be my last update for a while because we're leaving tomorrow on vacation and so I won't have access to my computer. I know...I know...I'm sorry. But enjoy this for now, I'll update when I get back. And as for the person who I owe a drabble to...you know who you are...I'm going to update with it when I get back. So hopefully if all goes according to plan, your drabble will have the special number of 50!!

Adios everybody!


	50. 50 Zutara Situations

**Disclaimer:** "It just takes some time, little girl, you're in the middle of the ride" - Jimmy Eat World: The Middle. Yeah, I thought that those lyrics were appropirate since we have officaly reached DRABBLE NUMBER 50!! YAY!! Take that Mike and Bryan! I may not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but I can make 50--count them, 50--drabbles about it! (Note: I will rub it in further when I have officially submitted more drabbles than there are Avatar Episodes.) This drabble will be a bit different. I decided that because 50 is a wonderful and different number, I would do something different. So this drabble is a compilation of all of my shorter drabbles. Note: For all intents and purposes, I really hate using proper nouns, so when there is a drabble without a proper noun such as "Zuko" or "Katara", just assume (we all know what happens when you do that :-P) that the drabble is referring to Zuko and Katara.  
[She = Katara, He = Zuko]

Enjoy the 50th Drabble which is entitled:: 50 Zutara Situations!

* * *

**1)**

She hated him since the first moment she saw him.

She hated him when he tied her to a tree.

She hated him when she discovered he had taken her mother's necklace.

She hated him when he captured Aang at the Spirit Oasis.

She hated him when he refused their help for his own pride.

She hated him when he sided with Azula.

She hated him when he came to them begging for forgiveness.

She hated him because he was Fire Nation.

She hated him because he chased them all over the world.

But most of all, she hated him for making her fall in love.

* * *

**2)**

Katara's the Freshmen, shy and alone, she watches the Sophomore as he makes his way home.

Jet is the Sophomore, his heads' in a whirl as he sits there and watches the cool Junior girl.

Mai is the Junior, who sits in her car as she admires the Senior, the man, from afar.

Zuko's the Senior, he's all hot and wild, and he secretly loves the young Freshmen child.

* * *

**3)**

She always thought that Valentine's Day was stupid.

It was the day when lovers flaunted their love—in her opinion—to make those who didn't have love feel bad about themselves. Plus she never got any cards.

So she never paid it much attention.

But then she got her own Valentine's Day card.

It was red—she hated the color red.

But she opened it anyway.

This card is red,

But I know you like blue,

Still, I send it with love,

From my heart to you.

Z

* * *

**4)**

He always thought that magic was overrated mumbo-jumbo. Anyone could do it, and people who couldn't figure out how the magician did his tricks never ceased to amaze him. It was safe to say Zuko didn't believe or like magic in the least.

That was until he met Katara. And fell in love.

That was until she kissed him.

And after that he knew that magic wasn't really so bad.

* * *

**5)**

He loved it when her nose crinkled up like a buffalo-pig's.

He loved the way one corner of her mouth went down while the other stayed up.

He loved the way her one eyebrow would rise so high it seemed like it would jump off her face.

He loved how her eyes—normally calm pools of blue—turned into hard, cold blocks of ice.

He loved how when he said something stupid her voice would rise at least two octaves in disgust.

He loved how cute she got when she was mad at him.

But he loved it most of all when her face would flush and get all confused when he kissed her in the middle of an argument.

* * *

**6)**

It took a trip across the world, several betrayals, two boyfriends, three girlfriends, the Avatar, two demented siblings, a tea-loving uncle, a mentally disturbed father, and a war to make them realize they loved each other.

It took one kiss for Zuko to realize that she was the one.

* * *

**7)**

They fought about everything…

The time of day…_("Its noon" "No it's not! Sokka isn't awake yet" "Doesn't matter, I'm hungry, its noon")_…the color of the sky…_("Its blue today" "Its azure" "How d'you know? They're the same color!" "No, your eyes are blue, the sky is azure" "My eyes are cerulean! The sky is blue")_…and that argument generally led to one about her eye color.

But even though they had their differences, the absolute thing they had in common was their love…and the fact that they both hated it when Sokka disturbed them.

* * *

**8)**

The sun and the moon circle the earth. Neither catching the other. But both having a common thread of life that connects them—unites them.

His love for her was masked behind her hope in the Avatar. The Avatar was like the earth standing between the moon and the sun, a blockade— an obstacle between two bodies. She never noticed the sun.

But just as the earth cannot stand between the sun and moon forever, the Avatar could not separate them forever.

For just like in an eclipse, the two bodies catch each other—floating there in front of the other—feelings plainly shown. And though, if only for a fleeting moment—as eclipses often last—the feelings aren't forgotten, and the chase to catch the other again begins.

* * *

**9)**

Any regular person would have thought her ordinary—utterly and completely regular. But she wasn't. And Zuko wasn't a regular person. So he knew that.

She wasn't rich, but she wasn't poor either. She wasn't homely but she wasn't drop dead gorgeous. She was Katara. And she was ordinary—plus a little more.

Zuko didn't know exactly what she had—but it was something extra—that made her different. Something he couldn't live without once he knew it existed. And he expected to spend the rest of his life finding out what it was that made her not so ordinary. What it was that was a little extra.

* * *

**10)**

"Zuko, do you think you'll love me ten years from now?" she asked.

He stared at her, mouth agape. "How can you ask me that?" He pulled her into his arms. "I will always love you. Whether it be ten years or ten _hundred_ years or ten _thousand_ years, my heart will always be yours."

"For forever?"

"For the rest of my existence."

"Do you think it's possible for love to continue on, even after death?"

"I think that if a love is deep enough, then death isn't really a factor at all."

"So will you love me for forever?"

He sighed, smiling slightly and shaking his head. "I will love you, my silly Katara, for forever and beyond."

* * *

**11)**

He was born fighting. His entire life was a massive battle between good and evil, himself and his duties as Prince of the Fire Nation. He was born fighting for his life.

But that made him strong.

That prepared him for this moment.

That prepared him for the greatest fight of his life.

His life of violence and fighting prepared him to fight for her.

* * *

**12)**

The Firebender, who had barely spoken one word to her—or anyone—since he came, always had an uncanny habit of appearing whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on or a comforting word said. And even now, what felt like a lifetime later, he was still always there when she needed him most. Because old habits are _very_ hard to break.

* * *

**13)**

She always seemed to be there when he needed someone.

She was there when he first got drunk. She held his head up all night, and part of the next morning.

She was there when her idiot brother almost cut his arm off—_not_ an exaggeration.

She was there when he needed someone to talk to.

She was there when he needed a shoulder to cry on.

She was there every minute of every day. She was there for _him_.

And that was why, on her wedding day, _he_ was there for _her._

Right by her side.

Where he would be for the rest of eternity.

* * *

**14)**

"It's a mark—"

"Symbol—"

"—of my weakness."

"—of _love_ for your nation."

He called it a mark. It showed his cowardice. His weakness. Everything he wasn't that he should be.

She called it a symbol. A symbol of his bravery. His sense of righteousness, and a symbol of the man he will never be.

He liked her analysis of it better.

* * *

**15)**

They have the same color eyes.

But she has his light skin.

Her hair is light brown.

He looks from his daughter wrapped in pink to his wife.

Both rest peacefully in the bedroom.

Zuko smiles and brushes dark hair out from her face.

Who knows. Maybe he _will_ enjoy fatherhood.

* * *

**16)**

Meeting him was fate.

Him joining their group and submitting her to two long years of torture was something she desperately wished she could have avoided.

Agreeing to go with him to the Cherry Blossom Festival was a choice.

Falling in love with him she had no control over.

And she definitely couldn't have avoided it.

* * *

**17)**

He was her best friend. The one she could talk to about anything. The one member of their group she felt _comfortable_ talking to about those things. He _understood_ her. _Listened_ to her. He was exactly what she needed in her life. He was her and she was him.

He was her first love.

And also her last.

So the ones in the middle didn't really matter.

* * *

**18)**

It was _never_ going to work out between them. It was _impossible_ for them to coexist peacefully within the same house—or without a house as they would most likely end up destroying it and anything else within a two mile radius.

But this was the way things had to be to restore peace to the world.

And although he had status, no one wanted their daughter to marry him. And he certainly wasn't going to marry someone who couldn't think for herself or stand up for herself or kick his ass or, if faced with the scenario, keep herself alive and safe.

So even though he had a better chance of convincing his uncle to give up tea than their chances were that this marriage would work, he was happy with this arrangement.

And secretly, so was she.

* * *

**19)**

Jet treated her like dirt.

Aang treated her like royalty, but she didn't want that. Not from him, not from her best friend.

Haru treated her like a person. Like she mattered. But he was all wrong for her.

And Zuko, he treated her like a royal dirt person.

And that was _exactly_ what she needed.

* * *

**20)**

He hated butterflies.

They had always annoyed him. He hated that they didn't fly in a straight line like birds. It was always up, down, up, down—never _smooth_.

But when he realized looking at her caused butterflies _within_ him, he knew having them was a sacrifice he was willing to make.

* * *

**21)**

Zuko had four red X's on his calendar every month. They were _her_ days. The days he expected. The days he feared most of all.

* * *

**22)**

It never occurred to him that Katara of all people could be the one he was waiting for.

It just seemed so absurd.

But then she became a woman.

Beautiful and strong. Smart and caring. Everything he imagined his future wife should be.

There was only one problem.

She had a brother.

A brother who hated him.

* * *

**23)**

Her mother had told her enough fairytale stories to last her a lifetime.

And she knew that her life would never be anything like the princesses' were.

Her life wasn't glamorous and it certainly wasn't perfect, but she didn't grow up with step-sisters or an evil witch.

Her story didn't have a happy ending, but at least she got her Prince.

* * *

**24)**

Sokka didn't want to admit to it. He tried desperately to ignore it, but he couldn't change that it was there.

Aang didn't want to admit to it either. But he couldn't have her, so he guessed the other boy was the next best choice.

Toph knew about it before anyone. And she was rather happy about it. They were perfect for each other, even if they couldn't see it.

Katara thought they were all crazy. As did Zuko. They didn't like each other at all—did they? No, they hated each other…and if _they_ were in denial, and everybody else recognized it, it _must_ be meant to be.

* * *

**25)**

He was strong.

He had survived everything the universe had thrown at him.

He survived thirteen years with his father, three without his mother.

He survived the fire-blast from his father.

He survived two years of searching for the Avatar...and two years of constant nagging from his Uncle.

Heck, he even survived the lightning strike that his sister unleashed at him.

So he thought he could survive anything.

He _knew_ he could survive anything.

But he was surprised when he discovered something he couldn't survive.

He gave her his heart.

And she broke it when she went away.

And that made him sure that he wouldn't be able to survive without her love.

* * *

**26)**

They had their break-ups and make-ups.

Their trials and tribulations.

Their ups and downs.

And, of course, their differences.

But then again, the course of true love never did run smooth.

* * *

**27)**

Crying didn't bring him back, she knew because she cried.

Wishing didn't bring him back, she knew because she tried.

It was death that separated them…and, she thinks, as she breathes heavily, death will bring them together again…

* * *

**28)**

They loved each other; they were getting married.

But something didn't feel right to Katara.

The wedding dress was a perfect, pale blue; it made her feel like a princess.

They were holding the wedding at the Western Air Temple.

She had analyzed every detail, gone over all the plans…but something wasn't right.

And as she walked down the aisle she realized what it was.

She looked from the crowd to her husband to be, and realized he was missing something.

He didn't have a scar.

* * *

**29)**

They say that before you die, you can't think of anything but the pain to come.

All he thought about was her.

They say that before you die, you see your life flash before your eyes as it has happened or will happen.

But all he saw as he dove protectively in front of the lightning blast was her.

* * *

**30)**

There he was, looking at _her_ again. _Staring_ at her again. He was not even worthy enough to breathe the same air as her, walk on the same ground. So the Avatar asked him, "Zuko, why do you always stare at Katara?"

The Firebender smiled and tore his eyes away from the beautiful girl—woman. "Why does Sokka always stare at the moon?"

* * *

**31)**

She was his fountain of youth; the blood coursing through his veins; the water to quench his thirst.

But every time he took a sip from her, he only wanted more and more and more, until, finally, he had drank so much he was drowning in her very being. She was the choppy waves that threatened to pull him under, but also his life-vest, his savior that kept him alive.

* * *

**32)**

"It's too dangerous for you to come."

"I invaded the Fire Nation Palace," she pointed out.

"Still. It's too dangerous. I won't be able to live with myself if…for some reason you don't...,"

"I'll be alright," she insisted, pulling the black cloak over her head.

He stepped forward and gathered her petite body in an embrace. "I can't ask you to do this."

She smiled and buried her head into his shirt. "That's the best part. You'll never have to."

* * *

**33)**

The battle was still raging, but the clanging of swords on armour and the shouts of those being killed faded away.

She focused on the strong, muscular back in front of her, and watched as the flames reflected off his body.

A moment—lifetime—later, it was over. The only signs that the battle had ever happened were the charred bodies around them, the slashes on her skin and the defeated body in front of them.

He turned around. The fabric on his shirt was singed away at his sleeves and they were still smoking from the blast.

And when his amber eyes closed and he opened his arms, she ran to him eagerly.

He towered over her, but even so, she felt safe.

* * *

**34)**

He was already in the kitchen when she woke up, a cup of coffee on the table in front of him. She watched as his head lifted up and his amber eyes focused on her.

"Good morning," she said, walking to the coffee pot. "Where're the cups?"

Silence. She turned around and gave him a puzzled look. "Is something wrong?"

He smiled a goofy smile before answering her. "You look good in my shirt."

* * *

**35)**

She had wanted him to love her. Love her with a passion that would never cease. And he did.

Then she had wanted him not to love her, let her go her own way. And although he knew he would be miserable without her, he complied because he knew it was what she wanted—would make her happy—or so she thought.

And as he sees her sitting there, alone, watching him while he smiles half-heartedly into the eyes of another, he wishes that he didn't care about her happiness quite so much.

* * *

**36)**

Iroh had often teased his nephew about the dangers of cooties, and in doing so he instilled in Zuko the belief that girls are 'icky' and 'disgusting'—unconsciously, of course.

But when he sees the disappointment and realization of rejection pass across the young Waterbenders face, he wishes his nephew would learn not to listen to an old geezer like himself.

* * *

**37)**

He had been around the world, and never had he seen anything—anyone—as beautiful as her. And he wanted to see her every day.

He had been around the world and never heard a thing as beautiful as her voice saying his name. And he wanted to hear it every day.

He had never smelled anything as sweet as the scent of her skin, or the fragrance of her hair. And he wanted to smell her every day.

He had never tasted anything as sweet as the flavor her lips held when he kissed them too roughly. And he wanted to taste them every day.

And he had never touched anything as smooth as her bare shoulders—smoother than silk, they were. And he wanted to touch her every day.

He knew not to covet what was not his, but he thinks its alright to when the other person feels the same way.

* * *

**38)**

"It's finally over," he whispered, more to himself than the others as he stood surveying the damage caused to his soon-to-be kingdom.

"Yes," she said, sliding her cool hand into his warm one. "But it's also just beginning."

He smiled and looked down at her out of his scarred eye. "It's the perfect middle to our story."

* * *

**39)**

He had heard about love at first sight. And he was a believer in the saying. It was true for him.

But as he looks at his blue-eyed wife for the millionth time he wonders if it is possible to fall in love with the same person more than once.

* * *

**40)**

"I can't allow you to do this. You're getting married in the morning," he says in protest.

"But I want you tonight."

"You shouldn't have come," he says, too harshly he realizes as he sees the hurt in her eyes. He sighs. "This is wrong. It can only be this one night."

"I know. I know it'll only be one night," she says as her fingers find the hem of her shirt. "But I want it to last forever."

* * *

**41)**

"It's not your fault," she breathes.

He tries to hide the pain in his voice, yet it is written on his face. "No one ever said it was," he says.

Her eyes go out of focus. "Promise me," she says softly. "Say that you won't die, too."

"Katara, I—"

"Promise me, Zuko." Her words are harsh, serious, and for a moment he remembers the strong woman she once was, before the disease took her away.

A tear crawls from behind his stoic mask. "I promise."

Her expression softens again. "It's not your fault," she repeats.

He holds her hand, trying futilely to bring her back to him.

"But I'm going to take the blame," he whispers.

* * *

**42)**

The only way he sees her anymore is when he closes his eyes. And even then he remembers her bruised and bloody. The happy woman she once was has left him—even in his memories. And when he kneels beside his bed at night, he asks Agni if he could please show compassion—just this once—and allow him to remember his love the way she was: whole, complete, lovely and alive. But when amber eyes close, they do not see the open blue ones that they desire.

* * *

**43)**

"What will you do with the child?" her brother asks.

"What do you mean?" I say through my tears. I know what he means. Only too well do I know the implications of his seemingly simple question. It is the same one I ask myself every day. "She is mine, is she not?" I ask him.

"But she is not a legit—"

"She is mine in every way."

"So you will keep her, then."

"Of course," I say, looking at her as she sleeps peacefully in her wooden cradle. "You should know. She is all I have left of her mother."

* * *

**44)**

When she runs up to him in hysterics he wraps his arms around her and rolls his eyes. He offers no words of consolation, only a hug. And when she's finally finished crying, he holds her by the shoulders and studies her beautiful, blotchy, tear stained face.

And like always he sighs and asks, "So who's butt am I kicking this time?"

And she smiles, like always.

* * *

**45)**

"I have one chance to be with you. One chance," I said, leaning forward. "So tell me. I want to know how you feel…about me."

He paused almost as if, for the first time, he was thinking about what to say instead of blurting the first thing that came to his mind. "You live under the illusion that you can fix everything that isn't perfect. You don't love, you_ need_. You married a dying man, and now that he is dead, you're looking for a new charity case—me. I'm twice your age; I'm not good-looking. I'm definitely not charming, I'm not even nice. What I am is what you need. I'm damaged," he finished.

I tore my gaze away from his scarred face. "No. You're perfect. I learned from Aang that some things can't be fixed. And I don't want to fix you. I love you."

* * *

**46)**

The last night we shared before the battle defined bittersweet.

It was beautiful, laden with stars and the serenade of cricket-hoppers, ox-frogs, and cat-owls.

It was sorrowful, filled with frail promises that every would be alright in the end.

It was spectacular, a true vision of perfect love, two people joined in earthly lust and spiritual passion.

And it was the worst night of my life, because no matter how hard I tried to believe it would work out in the end, I knew otherwise.

* * *

**47)**

It was an incredible feeling. Definitely unable to be reproduced.

It was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling. I don't think I could ever feel that way again even if I lived for a hundred—or a thousand—years.

It was a feeling only to be read about in an erotic novel. Something, generally, only words can describe, and yet now I'm at a loss.

I had always thought that hot and cold created steam when they met. That's not true.

No, when hot and cold connect, they electrify the body, awaken the soul and stimulate the senses.

I never knew it was possible for anyone to feel that way. But now I do.

And all he did was touch me.

* * *

**48)**

In the Fire Nation they needed water. It quenched their thirst and cooled them because sometimes, even for Firebenders, the heat was too much.

They needed fire in the Water Tribes. It was how they kept warm, cooked their food. Fire was essential to their way of life.

But neither really knew how much they needed the opposite element. It was always just there for them to appreciate. Neither knew how much they needed it, until they met the other.

* * *

**49)**

"You're brother is coming? Home? Here?"

"Yes. So?"

"So the guy hates me. He practically has a shrine set up just waiting for my head to finish it."

"I still don't see what the problem is," I said, walking my fingers up his bare chest.

"If he ever found out that I was…with you…that we were…You're his little sister for Agni's sake!" he exclaimed. I lifted my head off his shoulder and looked at his tortured expression.

"I can do what I want. I'm an adult."

"Just barely!" he shouted. "You're twenty-five. You're still a baby compared to me."

"I'm twenty-four. I skipped third grade."

"Ugh." His head crashed back on the pillow. "I feel dirty."

* * *

**50)**

"You didn't have to, you know," I whisper.

No answer.

"I would have been fine."

Still there was no response. It was kind of pointless, I knew, to be talking to the dead. But at least I was clearing my conscience. I've dreamt about it every night for a week. The flashes of light, the dark shadow protecting me. The screaming is the worst. And the cackling. And the knowledge that I can't do anything to help.

"But thank you," I say into the coffin. "Thank you for risking your life for mine."

I kiss his scarred face for the last time and take my place next to my brother and Zuko's uncle in the pew.

* * *

**A/N: **Yay!! I'm back from vacation and finally got some time to update with drabble - GASP - 50!! Who knew I would make it this far?

So I thought that it might be kinda cool if I combined all of my little short drabbles into one really long drabble--and it worked out that I had 50 short-ish drabbles so I put them into a collection and wa-lah! Here is drabble number 50! YAY!! We're halfway to 100!! So...let's have a vote! Which short little one(s) was your favorite? Which one(s) did you not like?

P.S.: I have not forgotten about the challenge! It will be up as soon as I figure out how I'm going to write about "Sock". Ponder, ponder, ponder...


	51. 154 Second

**Disclaimer:** Yeah...I still don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. A week on vacation didn't change that.

* * *

"Crying won't bring him back." His long robes blew around him.

"I know," she whispered.

"Then why do you do it?" he asked.

She shrugged, and continued to sob, one hand on the gravestone, the other clenched around the necklace he had given her, all those years ago...

"He wouldn't want you to cry," he said, softer now.

"I know."

"He died honorably," he continued. "He died for you, for the world. To keep you safe; to make them free."

She nodded, wiping the tears from her face.

"It's our turn to be strong now, to make sure that he didn't die in vain."

Her blue eyes shone with more tears as she smiled at their friend. "I don't know if I can be strong."

"We can do it. Together. We'll keep him alive," the dark haired man said, kneeling beside her.

"Zuko," she began.

"Katara, you know how I feel about you."

She traced the name carved into the stone with her finger. "It's too soon," she said, turning her attention to the man beside her. "I need time."

"I know it takes time. But when you're ready, I'll be here," he said, touching her shoulder. "Until then," he rose, "I'll be waiting." Raindrops fell slowly against the face of the gravestone as he walked away.

He stopped walking suddenly and spun around, needing a confirmation. "Will you ever love me?"

The question took her by surprise. In the dark he couldn't see the emotion on her face. The wind nipped at his robes and swept her hair across her face. "Zuko, I don't…I don't know."

In several large strides he was beside her again. "I need to know. Could you love me? Could you love me like you loved Aang?"

Tears caused her words to be jumbled. "I can't…ever love anyone the way I loved…loved him. I'll always think of him…but if you give me time…I think…" she looked up at him. "I think I could love you…only you."

Zuko nodded in understanding. He knew he could only be a replacement, second best, but that would not keep him from loving her with all his heart. The Firebender smiled a thin smile at her words and then turned to leave her to weep over the tombstone of her first love.

_--_

_You said move on, where do I go?  
I guess second-best is all I will know  
'Cause when I'm with him I'm thinking of you_

_--_

_Katy Perry: Thinking of You_

* * *

**A/N: **Thinking of You is one of my most favorite songs in all of songdom. I will seriously seek it out from the 1000+ songs on my iPod and listen to it 10 times in a row.

This drabble may make more sense if you've seen the movie Pearl Harbor or a Youtube video of Pearl Harbor set to Thinking of You by Katy Perry. So I reccommend that you do that if you haven't already. But be warned...you _WILL_ fall in love with the movie and you _WILL_ want to go and watch the entire movie.


	52. 253 Accidents

**Disclaimer:** Uh...If you're happy and you know it clap your hands? Yeah. I'm all out of disclaimers. The person who reviews with the best new disclaimer will get a drabble of their choice written.

* * *

Zuko said it was an accident when his foot stepped on mine during study hall.

It was an accident when his knee brushed mine in chemistry class.

When he knocked into me in the hallways, between classes, it was always an accident.

It was an accident when he opened his locker door too swiftly and it almost hit my head.

He moves away when his arm accidentally brushes against mine at lunch.

And it's always an accident when he reaches in too closely during our gym class basketball games.

With Zuko it is always an accident.

So was it an accident when he grabbed my shoulders and pressed me against the lockers today?

Was it an accident when he brushed his warm, calloused fingertips down my cheek and whispered, "Don't think"?

And was it an accident when his soft lips pressed against mine and he kissed me?

I really hope it wasn't.

* * *

**A/N: **So how many of you actually clapped your hands?

I think this is a sweet drabble and pretty much brings to life--or at least to fiction--what every girl hopes the guy of her dreams (at the moment) will do to her after school one day. Sigh. If this drabble speaks to you, REVIEW!

And don't forget to review with a new disclaimer! Danka!


	53. 306 Sleep

**Disclaimer:** Avatar: The Last Airbender, is not, and sadly will probably never be, mine. Anyway, since I can't think of a good disclaimer, I'll use my all-time favorite disclaimer even though it has nothing to do with this drabble. ATTENTION: Do not attempt [reading this drabble] without a signed note from your doctor/physician saying that yes, you are a moron and deserve to die.

It's cruel. I love it. Enjoy.

* * *

He noticed that she was wearing her hair down. It was often in her face, hiding her features from everyone.

He noticed that she was saying how tired she was. He noticed when her head lolled to one side or the other while cooking dinner. He noticed when she would carelessly allow Aang a victory during training, and then congratulate him on it as if he was becoming the better bender.

He noticed that she was always the first one up in the mornings and the last one to go to bed at night.

* * *

He reached his arm out from the shadows of the hall in the temple and tapped her shoulder. She didn't flinch. She bent her head so her long hair fell as a shield.

"When was the last time you slept?" he asked, holding her shoulder.

"Last night."

He recognized her lie. "When was the last time you slept?" he repeated.

She turned her head up to look at him. The bags under her eyes were so large. Her eyes fell flat; her face seemed sunken. She looked sick, not tired.

"Are you alright?" he asked. "You're not sick, are you?"

"No, I'm just exhausted."

"You need sleep," he said, softly pressing his thumb to the dark bags beneath her eyes. "When was the last time you slept?"

"About a week ago."

Zuko pushed her into the empty room off the corridor. "Sleep," he said, gesturing to the small pallet he had brought from his own room.

"I can't," she said. "There're things I have to do. I have to make dinner. I have to practice with Aang. The invasion is only a few—"

"We'll handle everything," Zuko said, guiding her down on the pallet. "You need rest."

"But…"

"Just sleep, Katara," he repeated, unfolding the blanket and spreading it atop her.

"I can't," she said, closing her eyes nevertheless. "When I sleep, I see things. Bad things."

"They're not real…"

"They seem so real. I can't sleep…I can't…" She shook as tears began to trail down her cheeks.

"I'll stay here," he said, sitting beside the pallet. "Just try to sleep."

Tears continued to seep from behind her closed eyelids. Zuko's hand hovered uselessly over her body before settling itself on her head. He stroked her hair as she slept.

* * *

Several hours later when stomachs began to growl, Toph followed heartbeats to a remote area of the temple, away from prying eyes. She opened a door off a corridor and felt Katara curled up on a small sleeping pallet with her head in Zuko's lap. Zuko sat leaning against the wall with his arms around her shoulders, holding her sleeping form. She felt the slow heartbeats, beating in unison.

"That-a-boy, Sparky," she whispered as she closed the door again.

* * *

**A/N: **Hehehe...Totally needed the last bit with Toph. She's so awesome. I think she's what really makes Zutara into _Zutara_.

Review people! Review with advice!! Review with challenges!!!

OOHHH I ALMOST FORGOT!!!! The challenge "Sock", I am proud to announce, will be up tomorrow! HAPPY DANCE!!

**EDIT: **Thank you to the reviewer who caught the "that's-a-boy" error. It has been changed. :-)


	54. 316 Sock

**Disclaimer:** Avatar: The Last Airbender does not belong to me. In fact, the idea for this drabble does not even belong to me. Anyway...so, yeah. Not mine.

* * *

"…and one time when I was six I almost drowned."

"Really?"

"Yeah. We were ice-skating and Sokka pushed me down. I didn't know how to control my bending yet. I had meant to move the ice under him and make him fall down too, but I must have melted the ice under me instead. The next thing I knew I was up to my chest in ice-cold water."

Zuko sat down on the bed across from me. One of his legs hung down off the side and he grabbed at my hands. Bringing them to his mouth he asked, "And then what happened?"

I laughed as his breath tickled my wrists. "Well I didn't have a Firebender to keep me warm," I said, inching closer to him. "Eventually Dad came and fished me out."

"I'm glad you didn't drown," Zuko said, leaning in and pressing his lips to mine.

"Me, too," I say beneath his lips. "You don't care if I sleep here tonight, do you?"

Zuko smiled. "Of course not." He leaned back and swung his other leg down off the bed.

I made myself busy trying to undo his tiny bed and climb beneath the safety of the covers. "Holy Spirits!" I cried.

"What's wrong?" Zuko jumped up and went to the window, thinking I saw something.

I pointed to his feet. "What happened to your feet?"

"Huh?" He looked down at his feet and then back to me. "Katara, are you alright?"

"What happened to your feet?" I repeated. "Let me heal them." I scrambled out of the blankets and reached for my water pouch.

Zuko walked towards me and pushed me back down on the bed. "Nothing's wrong with my feet," he said, smiling.

"They're so white. And where are your toes?" I asked. Zuko was trying not to laugh, I saw it in his eyes. "Don't laugh at me Zuko! Tell me what's wrong! Why are your feet bandaged?"

"They're socks, Katara," he sniggered.

"What the hell is a sock?" I shouted.

"A sock," he said, lifting his foot and pulling off the white thing, "is something we wear in the Fire Nation."

He handed it to me to examine. "What does it do?" I asked, bringing it close to my face. I threw it across the room when a disgusting odor filled my nose.

Zuko took off the other one and brought both his feet up on the small bed. "It protects our feet from getting blisters from our shoes. Don't you wear socks in the South Pole?"

I stared at his feet. He still had ten toes. "No. Our boots are lined with fur."

"Well, socks are like fur for us," he said.

"Really?" I asked, eying the pieces of smelly white cloth that lay bunched on the floor.

Zuko laughed. "No, actually, not really." He brushed a strand of hair out of my face. "But see, I'm perfectly fine. The socks didn't hurt me."

I smiled into his eyes. "I'm glad. I don't think I like socks."

We laughed and climbed into the small bed together. I snuggled close to him, intertwining my toes with his. Zuko yelped. "Katara you're feet are like ice."

"And yours are so warm," I sighed, pushing myself against him.

"I'm getting you your own pair of socks," he mumbled.

"Please don't."

He laughed, and then I felt his lips against my neck. "Whatever you wish."

* * *

**A/N: **So this is a drabble written for a FABULOUS reviewer who almost always reviews and gets my spirits back up...So BIG, HUGEMUNGOUS thank-you's go out to them!

I hope you like this. Did I do the challenge justice? "Sock" was a really hard topic to write about, and there is a funny story about how I actually came up with an idea...So we went on a class trip to see the Shakespeare play Twelfth Night--and when my English teacher was trying to give an explanation she said that the script was taken and made into a movie with Amanda Bynes called "She's the Man". And I am absolutely in LOVE with that movie and I went home and watched it. And when Duke is in the gym with Olivia and Viola and he says "I have to...change my feet", I always crack up and so I'm in the middle of laughing when I put two and two together and get four and run upstairs and use that as an inspiration to write about "Sock". Don't ask me how I got to that conclusion...I'm not even really sure myself.

But yeah...I REALLY HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT!

--Twisted


	55. 221 Contract

**Disclaimer:** So I was watching the movie "Ever After" with Drew Barrymore and that's where I got some of the lines in this drabble from. I do own the movie but I don't _own_ the movie. And I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender either. *Sigh*...I wish I did though.

* * *

The thunder cackled angrily outside, mirroring the atmosphere within the palace.

"Uncle, I will not marry her. Surely there is a better match somewhere in the kingdom," the Fire Prince roared.

The old man shook his head. "There is no other lady as highly ranked as Lady Mai within our borders. The nobles won't approve of anyone else."

"I refuse to marry her, Uncle. I will make her as happy as a poor farmer would," Zuko said as lightning flashed and lit up the Fire Lord's office. "And she could never make me happy."

"Prince Zuko. You were born into this life and therefore must accept the baggage that it comes with. We cannot afford to think of ourselves for in this kind of work our only concerns are that of our subjects. Now, I believe Lady Mai will be the best Fire Lady for this county, don't you?"

Zuko turned his back to his uncle and pounded his fist against the wall, making the pictures jump. The fire blazed brighter, sending a sudden flash of heat through the room. A clap of thunder echoed in the night as he turned back to his uncle and the fire restored to its normal size. "No," the prince snarled through clenched teeth.

A soft knock on the door broke the tension between the two men. "May I come in?" the voice questioned from the hall. The door opened without an answer from either man. Lightning flashed, revealing the tiny Waterbender in the door frame.

With her sudden entry the entire atmosphere of the room changed. Zuko held himself a little higher, threw his shoulders back just a bit, and smiled as she opened the door.

"What a lovely surprise, Miss Katara!" Iroh exclaimed, hiding the tension in his voice.

"I'm sorry it is so late. I heard shouting, is everything alright?"

"Of course," Iroh said.

Zuko's eyes never left the young woman's face, beautiful even in the darkness of the night. "Everything is fine," he assured her, almost trance-like.

"Alright then," she said, meeting his gaze with one of her own. "I'll see you both at breakfast. Sleep well, Zuko. Good-night, Uncle Iroh." She closed the door behind her and lightning lit up the room once more, announcing her exit.

Iroh studied his nephew for a moment.

"I believe I had better destroy the marriage papers, then," Iroh said, walking towards the fire, papers in hand.

Zuko tore his gaze away from the door and looked at his uncle. He didn't know whether to be happy or suspicious. "Why?" he asked.

The thunder rolled once again as Iroh met his nephew's face.

"The name is incorrect, as I now realize. It should not say Mai, but Katara."

Zuko smiled and his gaze drifted back to the door. "Indeed it should."

* * *

**A/N:** I just noticed that I watch a lot of movies and steal a lot of lines from all of them and make them Zutara...huh. Aw well...Good artists borrow, Great artists steal...so I guess the same is true for writers...

Anyway. If anyone has a challenge, please review...I know I'm not the most speedy...but I will get it done. REVIEW!


	56. 132 That Way

**Disclaimer: **"I want it that waaay" - Backstreet Boys. I couldn't resist. Oh yeah. I just quoted a boy-band. Please, someone, slap some sense into me...Anyway. Yeah. Avatar: The Last Airbender, unfortunately is not mine. Backstreet Boys song "I Want It That Way", fortunately is not mine. Enjoy.

* * *

"Katara, it's getting late. Maybe you should start dinner now," Aang suggested.

"Alright. If you're hungry."

"Thanks, Katara. Can we have fish tonight?" Aang asked cheerily.

"Sure, I'd be happy to make whatever you want," she said, wearily, thinking of the rice soup she had already made, sitting in the kettle. Aang didn't notice that she sounded tired, but it seemed that way to Zuko.

* * *

"Leave the dishes you guys, I'll do them. Toph, why don't you and Aang go Earthbend?" Katara suggested.

"Are you sure, there are more tonight than usual. Don't you want some help?" Toph asked.

"No, no. Really. Go. I'll take care of the dishes," Katara insisted, already grabbing them and stacking them above her own.

"Alright," Toph shrugged.

Together, Aang and Toph left the fireside, and Sokka excused himself from the table. None of them noticed the sadness in her eyes as she picked up the dishes one by one and brought them over to the creek. She had said she wanted to do them, but it didn't seem that way to Zuko.

* * *

She told them she gave the last of their money to the little boy at the market. Everyone was furious with her. They asked her to do one thing and she couldn't do it. No one took into account the fact that she was the one who did everything, and she didn't bring up that point either. They couldn't understand why she did it. They thought she didn't care about their cause anymore; favoring someone else's needs over that of the Avatar's.

But all night while they were mad at her, she sat beneath the moon smiling up at it. It was almost as if she didn't care that they had no supplies or money left. They thought she didn't regret her decision to give their money away. But it didn't seem that way to Zuko.

* * *

He kissed her. He couldn't watch as _he_ kissed her. It should be _him_ kissing her. He lingered there for just a moment longer, and then pulled away. He watched as her face reddened and became alarmed. She backed away quickly.

"I'll…I'll see you tomorrow, then," he said. He turned away and left her there, a silent tear tracing a trail down her cheek.

He thought she had enjoyed it. But it _definitely_ didn't seem that way to Zuko.

* * *

"Katara, you can't seriously tell me that you are _in love_, with _him_!" her brother exclaimed.

"Sokka, I can't believe you would think that!" she yelled back.

"I _saw_ you kissing him."

"No, _I _did not kiss him. _He_ kissed _me_!"

"I'm gonna kill that sonofabi—"

"SOKKA!" she screeched. "You will not do one thing to him!"

"Why not?" her brother challenged.

There was quiet. "Because I already took care of it," she lied. "He won't bother me anymore."

"Are you sure?" her brother asked, relaxing a little.

"Yes. I told him it would never work out between us…and that I just didn't feel the same way."

Her brother may have bought the lie, but from around the corner, Zuko was sure she didn't really feel that way. And when she joined him, they both knew the lie was just that—a lie.

* * *

**A/N: **So I thought it might be interesting to write from Zuko's point of view; how he sees Katara dealing with the group. And I wanted to target how much she's the mother/maid of the group and how no one really appreciates all that she does--except for Zuko of course because he is fabulous and is always watching Katara and such. Do you guys get the ending? I had my sister read it and she was kinda confused...

r.e.v.i.e.w. preferably with challenges and the like.


	57. 52 Protect

**Disclaimer: **"When men talk about protection, it is always targetted towards women and children, but they never ask the women and children what they think." - Pat Schroeder. Yeah. I have no idea who that person is. I've totally run out of ideas for funny disclaimers, so therefore, I will be trying to find lyrics/quotes which fit the atmosphere of the drabble. I think this one works. In other news: TwistedFury is nowhere near being close to owning Avatar: The Last Airbender. Seriously. Avatar: The Last Airbender was last seen in LA while TwistedFury is lost somewhere in the Himalayan foothills.

* * *

"Get _down_!" He tackled the Waterbender to the ground right as the knife whizzed past their heads—dangerously close. He covered her head with his arms, laying on top of her.

"Get _off_!" she shouted, trying to push his weight off of her. She wiped the dirt from her tunic and ran after their ambushers.

"Where are you going?" he shouted, running after her.

"They stole our things! We have to get them back!"

He caught up with her, grabbing her by the wrist. "We don't have time to go after them and I don't want to have to save your ass again!"

"No one asked you to!" she yanked her hand away. "I was perfectly fine on my own."

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Oh, and that was why the knife was about to impale you and you still hadn't moved," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"I was getting to that part!" Katara yelled, storming away. She stopped suddenly and spun around, hands on her hips. "Why'd you do it anyway?"

"Do what?" he asked.

"You know what."

_Why did you do it…_he wondered, _because you didn't want to see her get hurt…because you...love her… _"Because Sokka would have killed me if I let _anything_—especially _death_—happen to you," he shouted. _Because _I_ would have killed myself if I let anything happen to you…_ "We should get back, they'll be mad enough we don't have the supplies."

They walked together in silence for a while, listening to the dirt crunch beneath their feet.

"Thank you," she said eventually.

He looked at her out of the corner of his eye, but her face was turned away, hidden behind a mask of dark hair. "You're welcome."

* * *

**A/N: **And so it begins...aaahh. I love young love. Picture the tackling scene as right out of "The Southern Raiders". This was written well before "The Southern Raiders" but I fell in love with that scene. That was when I knew Zutara would definitely happen, but then Mike and Bryan pulled a Kansas City Shuffle on us. GGGRRR!

If anyone knows where Kansas City Shuffle is from, they get brownie points.


	58. 293 Pickup Lines

****

Disclaimer: WARNING:

Here are some dumb and funny and cheesy and just all around bad pick-up lines. Remember, I can't/won't be held responsible for any drinks, grenades, punches, rocks, or any other item that will get thrown in your face if you do indeed try to use some of the following pick-up lines. Dumb and funny and cheesy and all around bad pick-up lines aren't always going to give you the desired result. They may, in fact, decrease your chances so much that you will be forced to become a monk, like Aang, and trap yourself in an iceberg with a giant bison for 100 years. Anyhow, now that I have sufficiently warned you of the dangers the following pick-up lines may cause, I can say, Avatar: The Last Airbender, is not mine. 

* * *

Zuko had tried every possible pick-up line possible to get her attention:

* * *

He sat across from her in study hall on Tuesday. She was working on homework that he knew he should do but probably never would. He coughed. Loudly. Once, twice. She looked up.

"Do you need a cough drop?" she asked, obviously annoyed.

"Oh, what…no. It's just kinda hot in here. It must be you." He smiled what he had thought to be a very charming smile.

In one swift motion her books were folded against her chest. She grabbed her bag and stalked out of the library.

* * *

On Thursday in Algebra II, he kicked the nerd out of the seat diagonally back from hers. Halfway through the period, when Mr. Pakku was writing a complex formula on the chalkboard and talking in a mathematical language only two students actually understood, he took out his pen, tore a scrap of paper and wrote, "I wish I were sine squared and you were cosine squared because then we could be one."

He folded it. Once, twice. He tossed the paper and it landed perfectly on her open binder.

Without opening it she stood up and said, "Mr. Pakku, I don't feel very well. May I be excused from class?"

And because she was one of the only two who understood what Mr. Pakku was saying, he agreed.

* * *

The day before winter vacations, he cornered her by her locker.

"Hey," he said, taking out a camera.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Is it okay if I take your picture?" he asked, pressing the power button.

"Why?" she asked, packing her books.

"I want to show Santa what I want for Christmas," he said, trying and hoping that he sounded suave instead of stupid.

"I thought you were Jewish," she said, slamming her locker and storming down the hall.

* * *

He followed her to the library the first Saturday in March under the pretext of doing research for his thesis for History class. Like he'd actually do it before the date it was due.

He found her seated at a desk in the far corner of the reference section with stacks of books arranged around her like a fortress.

"Hey," he said, sitting across from her and shifting a pile so he could see her face. "Can I borrow your library card?"

"Why?"

"Cause I'm checking you out."

The Encyclopedia of Ancient Cultures met his jaw that day. He remembered why he didn't go to the library at all.

* * *

He cut everyone in the lunch line just to stand behind her. He tapped her on the shoulder.

"The lunch is kinda expensive today. Could you lend me some money. All I need is a penny."

"What?"

He grabbed a slice of the moldy looking pizza and followed behind her. "Could you give me a penny for my thoughts? I only need one because I only think about one thing and that's you."

The freshmen behind him sniggered.

She picked up a carton of chocolate milk, opened it, sniffed. Then she poured it over his head.

The entire lunchroom was in hysterics.

* * *

But today was different. He had the best plan ever. And there was no way it could go as bad as last time with the chocolate milk. It took a week to get the smell of lactose out of his hair.

He smiled today as he approached her in study hall.

"You want me," he said as he sat down across the desk from her.

"No, I don't."

"You do so. I can smell it."

"Go away, Milk-Man," she said, using his recently acquired nickname.

He smiled despite himself. "Milk does the body good. You must have drank a lot."

She ignored him.

"You know you're sexier than socks on a rooster."

She snorted. "What?" she asked, chuckling.

"I think the sun just came up. Or did you actually smile at me?"

She shook her head in disbelief, still chuckling. "You're delusional."

"I'm not delusional. I'm intoxicated by you."

"Listen, I'm not interested."

"Did you know that the Hershey factory makes millions of kisses each day? I'm only asking for one."

"I'm allergic to chocolate."

"Then how about raisins? If you don't have enough to share I'll gladly take a date."

"You're trying too hard."

"At least I know what I want."

"That wasn't a pick-up line."

"Come to think of it, I am feeling kind of off today. Would you like to turn me on?"

"Shut up!" she hissed, laughing, snorting as she did.

"I like your laugh. Did you know that—"

"Fine! Enough already! I'll go out with you."

"Really?"

"Yes!" she shouted, earning a glare from the study hall professor.

She sighed as she tore off a piece of paper. "Here. My phone number and address. Saturday night?"

Zuko smiled stupidly as he took the folded note from Katara. "Are you religious?" he asked, as she packed up her books in preparation for the last bell of the day.

"Why?" she asked warily.

"Because you've just answered my prayers."

The bell rang, popping Zuko's bubble of happiness. Katara laughed and rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'll see you Saturday at eight."

Zuko leaned back satisfactorily in the plastic chair. He fell backwards, smashing his head against the floor. "Katara," he said, although he knew she wouldn't be able to hear. "I need a band-aid. I hurt my head when I fell for you."

* * *

**A/N: **I wanted to do a funny drabble. I think this is pretty hilarious.

It was actually inspired because a group of people in my school go around and randomly say pick-up lines to people. Teachers, anyone they see...so if you ever come to my school, beware. And so that gave me inspiration. And I googled pick-up lines and there are several websites completely devoted to nothing but funny pick-up lines. So thank you to those people who have the time and patience to go through and write every single funny pick-up line for the general public to use when doing research for a drabble.

Review.

**EDIT: **Thank you xyzisme for your proofing of band-aid and iceberg. I can't stand it when something is spelled incorrectly. Thanks for catching me!


	59. 311 Circle

**Disclaimer:** "It's the circle of life--And it moves us all--Through despair and hope--Through faith and love" - Circle of Life. Sigh. Possibly one of the best Disney movies ever created. Sadly I do not own it. And I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender either. What a boring life I lead...

* * *

"You know I stood there before. Three years ago, when I first started looking for the Avatar," he said, walking to where she stood on the cliff.

"Really?" she asked. By the tone of her voice he knew she wasn't interested.

"Yes," he said anyway. "My uncle and I. This was the first place we looked."

"You didn't find him," she said, almost mockingly.

"No. I didn't expect to. I thought he was dead," the Firebender said. Both teens looked to where the Avatar now played with Momo and the Duke in the small courtyard.

"I never thought I'd come back here."

"Everything always comes full circle," she said, squinting against the setting sun as she looked into his scarred face.

"I guess so," he agreed, showing a rare smile. "I'm here as a friend though, not an enemy."

Her eyes tightened. "You're nothing more than an ally."

His face fell as he realized where her bitterness came from. "I'm sorry," he said softly.

She shook her head. "I'll never forgive you for what you did to Aang." She turned and walked away from the edge of the temple.

"No." He turned around and called after her. "You mean for what I did to you," he said. "I broke your trust, and I'm sorry for that."

She squared her shoulders but kept her back to him. Her head turned slightly and she repeated over her shoulder, "I can't forgive you."

"But I hope one day you will," he whispered as he watched the Waterbender walk away.

* * *

**A/N: **Quite possibly one of my best drabbles so far. Can you hear my ego inflating? Sorry, I just really really like this drabble.

So from my disclaimer...Does anyone remember the second Lion King movie? So I was thinking--and it may just be my Zutara loving brain that looks waaay to far into everything just to come up with some resemblence to Zutara--but anyway, I was thinking that the second Lion King movie is a LOT like Avatar. Because the lion's names are Kovu and Kiara--Zuko and Katara--see the similarity? AAANNNDDD!!! Kovu has a scar across his eye, which he gets from his mother--who is evil like Ozai is in the series. Idunnoknow...maybe its just me.

Anyone else see that? Review!


	60. 230 Past

**Disclaimer:** OOOHHHKAY!! For all those who don't read my disclaimers: **YOU MUST READ THIS DISCLAIMER!!** So we are at drabble number 60--3/5 of the way done...booohhhooooo!!! And I have been beginning to think of my next "project" shall we call it. This is a sample of an idea that I've been playing around with. I have something story-like already started, but I want to know if it'd be something that you would like to read. So this is just a sample of what my next "project" might be. Zeke = Zuko. Katie = Katara. Again, I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

"I know this is cruel, but you're not capable of loving me are you?"

His words stung, but they were partiallycorrect. "I can love you."

"Then say it. Tell me that you love me."

"I can't."

He grabbed my hands in his large, coarse ones. He was angry. "Why? Did someone break your heart? Did someone…did they…," Zeke looked away and took in a large breath. "Can you not trust me because of them?"

"Yes."

"Who? I'll beat them until you aren't hurting anymore."

"My mother."

His amber eyes grew soft again. His mouth remained pressed into a tight line. "Did she leave?"

"Yes…in a way."

"Will you tell me? Let me unravel this mystery. Let me help you with your past."

"Okay."

He sat there, looking at me. And somewhere in his amber eyes I found the courage to tell him what I had never told anyone else.

"It happened when I was about ten. My mom had been trying for years to have another baby and finally, she got pregnant. She carried the baby for eight months—maybe a little longer, just enough so that it could survive on its own. Almost.

"There was an accident one night. My parents were driving home from the clinic and it was late and dark. They called around six to tell us to start making dinner and that they would be home in about an hour. It was late in January and the road was icy. My father took his hand off the wheel to pat my mother's stomach. There must have been a bend in the road but he was confident that the car would turn. He turned the wheel but the car didn't follow. My father didn't have time to react before the car flew off the road and crashed head on into the tree.

"The ambulance came and rushed my parents to the hospital. Seven o'clock rolled around and our parents still weren't home. The phone rang and at first Scott didn't pick it up. When the number called again we answered. Fifteen minutes later a nice police officer knocked on our front door and took us to see our parents. My dad was alright, dazed, and crying for my mother he didn't even notice us.

"My mom was rushed to the I.C.U. She was only barely conscious, having smashed her head on the dashboard when their car struck the tree.

"For two days she lay in the hospital bed with tubes and needles sticking out of her at all angles

For two days we all sat in her room watching my dad hold her hand and constantly apologize for what he had done to her.

"For two days my father cried like a baby.

"For two days my mother clung to life and then she got worse.

"The doctors told my dad that they thought it was because of the baby that she suddenly got much sicker. They said it was because of the blood loss, from the trauma to the head and brain.

"The doctors told my father that he had to choose: his wife or his unborn child.

"He chose my mother.

"The only way to save her, the doctors said, was to get the baby out. It was sucking what little life she had left out of her.

"She went into surgery and she never came out. The baby lived for about a week after my mother's death. Then he died too. Dad didn't come to see him not even once."

I shuddered. That was the first time I had told the true story to anyone.

"Katie…I'm so sorry," he whispered. I saw him lift his hands and then drop them uselessly.

"Don't be," I said. Tears welled behind my eyes for the first time in a while. "At least not for me."

* * *

**A/N: **So what did ya'll think? Did you like it? I mean, this is only a sample, and obviously the story will be AU modern times and stuff. So do you? Would it be something you'd like to read?

Review! Did you or did you not like it? Do you or do you not want it to be a new "project" for when this drabble series reaches its close?


	61. 80 Heart

**Disclaimer:** "Gravity is not responsible for people falling in love". --Albert Einstein. Toph, however, is responsible for prodding people in the right direction. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

She looked at him.

He stared at her and crossed his arms. "Why do you hate me so much?"

She sighed. "It's easier this way."

"Easier? Easier than what?" he demanded.

"Hating someone is easier than loving them," she said. His strong arms fell limply at his side. "I'm afraid to do anything _but_ hate you."

"Why? Why would the great Water Peasant be scared of an inferior Fire Nation outcast?" he asked, irritated.

"Because the great Water Peasant gave her heart to the outcast," she said, stepping towards him. "And with even the simplest movement, he could break it."

He gazed down into her eyes. "How's your heart doing now?" he asked, reaching for her hands.

"Running a marathon," Toph called from across the campsite. "Just kiss her already!"

They smiled and listened to the blind Earthbender. She _did,_ after all, know more about their desires than they did.

* * *

**A/N: **Everyone says it only because it's true. There is no Zutara without Toph. This one's kinda short...

Challenges welcome!


	62. 172 Moments

**Disclaimer:** "And she says, 'I don't want this night to end, why does it have to end?'...[She's] been dreading this moment all summer long, the night before life goes on". -- Carrie Underwood. I don't own the song or Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

It was well past midnight, and every corner of the temple was deserted. Katara took the stone stairs one at a time, careful of their age.

She descended the staircase onto the second floor of the temple and cautiously made her way down the hall, careful to keep her footsteps light, and reminding herself why she was here. It was the middle of the night—no, the next day, and she had promised that she would tell him the next day.

She slid her feet across the stone floor, slowly approaching the door to his room. She paused before carefully placing her hand on the doorknob and turning it. She opened the door as slowly and quietly as she could, but still it squeaked. The only movement that came from the sleeping figure was a disgruntled snort and twitch of the hand.

After closing the door behind her, Katara turned and admired his sleeping form. She tiptoed to his side, careful of the creaky wooden floorboards that had almost had them discovered only a few nights ago. She placed her candle down on the small table beside his bed. She stood back and let the candle bathe his face in light, the curve of his cheek, how his eyelids flickered as he slept, dreaming—she hoped—of her, and lastly his scar. She knew the pain it must have caused him, and she thought of how she was about to hurt him. She couldn't do it; she cured pain, not caused it.

She lay down beside him, pressing her back against his warm body. She turned her head to study his face closely. Suddenly, he awoke and pulled her tighter against him. She almost cried out in surprise, but a smile broke across her face and she laughed instead—a quiet, happy laugh. He cradled her head, and she felt the outside world fade as she focused solely on his face.

"I can't believe you're here, again," he whispered. "Not that I mind, of course."

"I couldn't sleep," she answered, keeping her eyes locked on him. His golden irises rolled back and forth, searching her face for some hidden message.

She wanted to kiss him, but she didn't want to break their gaze for a second. His hand moved from her neck down her spine and rested against the small of her back. The way Zuko was looking at her made her lungs swell with air and her heart with happiness—a feeling so familiar, yet also unknown. She tried to remind herself that they had no kind of future together.

"You must really have missed me."

"Who are you?"

He laughed, grabbing her around the waist and rolling her over him, pinning her to the mattress. He hovered above her with a wide smile on his face. She tried to sit up, but he grabbed her by the wrists and held her down. She shrieked with laughter, and then he bent down and quieted her with a kiss.

Sweet as it was, Katara couldn't help but feel like a liar, and Zuko was the one person she never wanted to lie to. She pulled her face back gently and gave him as serious a look as she could muster. It would be cruel of her to wait, she told herself. It would only worsen his pain when the inevitable came out.

"What is it?" he asked.

She closed her mouth and opened it again, then took a deep breath for courage. "This is wrong and I—" she began.

Zuko laughed, cutting her off. "You're not going to try to convince me of that again, are you? You're here now," he said, stroking a path from her shoulder to her wrist and back. "And I talked with Toph this afternoon, she promised not to tattle on us, so you don't have to worry. Your brother will never find us."

He kissed her gently. She felt a tightness in her throat and wished that she could make this moment go on forever. She pulled away again. "But what about Aang?"

The playfulness left his manner and his eyes grew dark. "I think everything will be all right," he whispered after a long silence.

Katara brought her lips back together in a kind of smile, and wondered if he could see how sad it was. "Everything will be all right," she repeated in a voice that sounded almost convincing to herself.

Tomorrow—she would tell him tomorrow. All she wanted was one last night when they weren't angry or fighting about things to come. Tomorrow, she repeated to herself. How much harm could be done by saving the news for one more day?

He rolled on his side and put his arms around her in a kind of awkward embrace, his hands folded in front of her stomach. She placed her hands on top of his and tried not to think of what was to come. Or how her new found condition may change everything they were just about to achieve. She tried not to think of her new responsibilities. Or how it was going to be just short of impossible to tell Zuko tomorrow. Or the tomorrow after that. She told herself to concentrate on the way he was kissing the hollow of her neck, just beneath her chin, so that she could remember forever how things used to be.

* * *

**A/N: **So not much to say about this one...This was inspired by Anna Godberson's novel _The Luxe_ and was adapted to fit Zutara. Yeah...review.


	63. 223 Run Away

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. All other standard disclaimers apply, including, but not limited to: Your computer chair can be used as a flotation device...we are not yet sure how. Do not use while operating electronic equipment. Do not read for fear of eyes popping/falling out of head, in which case the author of the literary piece that caused the eyes to pop/fall out of head is not liable. For recreational and entertainment purposes only.

* * *

She ran up to me after school one day. We had hardly talked since our relationship ended, but I still loved her.

* * *

_"I don't like the way he keeps looking at you," I said._

_She laughed and placed a kiss on my cheek. "You're being silly. He knows I love only you."_

_I sighed and looked at Zuko staring at us from across the cafeteria. "You're right. I'm probably just being paranoid."_

_She laughed again and playfully ruffled my hair. _

* * *

"I need you to promise me something," she said.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"My dad. He knows about me and Zuko. He's not happy. I have…the only thing I can think of is to leave this place," she said, looking up at me with her big blue eyes. "_We're_ leaving tonight."

I tried to hide my shock. I had expected this when she asked me to keep her new relationship a secret.

* * *

_"I told you! I told you, Katara!" I shouted at her. _

_Usually she would cry whenever I raised my voice at her, so I tried to avoid it, but I couldn't control myself. "I'm sorry," she said. _

_"That's the best you can do? 'I'm sorry'?" I said, bitter. _

_"I truly am, Aang. But I love Zuko."_

_"I thought you loved me," I said, softer, trying to remind her of a time when we were happy. _

_She began to protest but I raised my hand. "There's nothing left for you to say. You should go."_

_She nodded and I could see the tears beginning to fall down her cheek. _

_When she reached the door she turned back to me. "Promise you won't say anything to my father."_

_I still loved her, despite all she had put me through, I still loved her. "I promise."_

* * *

That was the last time we had spoken, until now.

"You want me to cover for you, then?" I asked.

She nodded. "Please. He'll come looking for you first. I knew you'd get worried when I didn't come to school tomorrow, and I didn't want to hurt you any more than I already have. I wouldn't have told you otherwise…I know you still care."

I looked past her to where Zuko leaned against the hood of his car. "He's waiting for you."

"I know. But I need to hear you say that you won't tell my father."

"Where are you going?"

"We don't know. I have a bag packed in the trunk. We'll just drive until we run out of gas, then stop there I guess. Somewhere far." She inhaled brokenly. My eyes flashed down to her face. "Please, promise you won't tell him."

"Does your brother know?"

She nodded. I saw the tears coming out of her eyes and knew she wouldn't be able to hold on much longer. "I promise. I will not tell your father anything." I opened my arms and enveloped her in a hug. She was shaking fiercely and I could feel her tears soaking through my shirt. "I'll miss you."

"Maybe someday we'll come back," she said, pulling away and wiping her eyes.

"I'll see you then," I said. She nodded once and faked a smile for my benefit more than for hers.

That was the last time I ever saw her.

* * *

**A/N: **So this is from Aang's point of view. The italics are what happened in the past and the regular print is the present time. So basically, Katara used to go out with Aang and then she fell in love with Zuko and Aang kinda was suspicious of them. Uh...then Katara's dad gets suspicious and she knows that he'd hurt Zuko and the only thing she can think of to do is to leave town and she's asking Aang to keep it a secret. So yeah. If you listen to Jimmy Wayne's song "Do You Believe Me Now?" it might make this drabble clearer because I can't explain it.

Review...if I didn't kill all your brain cells with my useless and confusing explanation.


	64. 307 Letters

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing.

* * *

It is after my father is defeated. It is after the world begins to slowly struggle to its feet. It is after everything is beginning to be righted. It is after we make peace that my Uncle starts matchmaking.

To get my mind off of the large footprints that I will have to dust off the face of the world, he offers me the lawyer's daughter with the pig nose. Secretly I think of what Katara would whisper if she were here, "Now I know all Fire Nation people are pigs."

He offers me the daughter of the richest merchant in all of the Fire Nation; the girl whose left hand has no fingers. I think of what Katara would say to me, and only to me: "She has such a beautiful face, but it's a shame about her hand."

He offers me the daughter of a missionary with dark patches of some fungus growing under her skin from the swamps of the Earth Kingdom where she accompanied her father; the daughter of a general who accompanied her father to the battlefields and left her tent at the exact moment as an explosion went off, leaving her mouth in a permanent snarl. Katara would feel pity for the missionary's daughter; she would try to heal her, I'm sure. But she would water-whip the general from the Fire Nation to Yue for his greed in trying to keep his daughter with him and in doing so ruin her prospects of ever marrying.

I look at the portrait of my father that still hangs in what is now my soon to be office and think that at least he had a beautiful wife.

My uncle opens the door to the study with lunch tray. As he sets down the tray on the edge of my new desk I groan. Blank sheets of paper. An inkwell. A pen.

"Zuko," Uncle says, "you can write to the ladies. You don't have to ever see them. It doesn't matter how a person looks."

I slump back in my chair and think of Katara. I think of her conversation with Toph that one afternoon at the temple:

"_I wish I could see myself, Katara. I wish I could see what people see when they look at me."_

"_Why would you want to see their reactions?"_

"_I would know if I was beautiful," Toph said sadly, slowly. _

"_Beauty isn't everything Toph," she said. "It only goes skin-deep."_

"I would write to them, Uncle," I say. "But it's just too much trouble to explain myself and my feelings in writing. I want someone I can carry on a conversation with," I say with a smile. I'm drawn back to the long arguments Katara and I had at least once a day. I miss those.

"Don't you want to fall in love, Zuko?"

Oh, Agni give me patience.

"I can fall in love, Uncle. When I'm ready too."

"You must put yourself out there," he insists.

"I am not worried about finding someone to love Uncle," I snap. "I'm worried about finding someone who loves me."

His eyes dart to my scarred eye and then look quickly away.

We sit in the quiet for a moment. I stare down and swirl my soup with my spoon. "Leave the paper, Uncle," I say. "I'm going to write a letter."

As soon as my Uncle leaves I pick up the pen and start writing. I am amazed how easily writing comes to me as I begin my letter, _Dear Katara…_

* * *

**A/N: **I have been waiting a really long time to upload this drabble. I got the idea after reading Chuck Palahniuk's novel "Invisible Monsters". Basically a beauty becomes ugly and has to hide behind veils because she is embarassed of how she looks. And one of the therapists at the hospital try to fix her up with others who have "deformaties". Guess who's who!

Anyway. I hoped you enjoyed the drabble. Reivew!


	65. 265 Reason

**Disclaimer:** Because I am unoriginal and cannot think of a decent disclaimer, I will go with a summarized version of the standard disclaimer: Humanity is stupid. We put out perfectly fine products that monkey's can figure out how to operate, but man-kind cannot. If you are indeed a part of the greater species on earth with opposable thumbs and the only species capable of forming words, then you should know that a bag of peanuts WILL contain peanuts. You SHOULD know that the contents of a coffee cup, unless orded with the words "iced" in the title, will be hot. Finally, because I have only said it about 63 times before, I will say it again because if I don't I'm sure someone will find someway to sue me so, that being said, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

I drop my suitcase in the courtyard and bend down on one knee. My three-year old daughter runs down the palace steps to greet me, a piece of paper flapping in the wind as she does.

"Daddy," she screams, her brown curls bouncing.

"Kiki!" She runs into my outstretched arms and I pick her up and twirl her in the air. "I missed you so much my little Princess."

I put her down and look at the steps. My wife sits in the shade of the porch wearing her usual black, long-sleeved ensemble. The nanny hurries down the stairs and calls for Kiki to come back inside.

"C'mon, Daddy!" she squeals, pulling at my robes.

I smiled at her trilling voice and pick up my bags. My wife stands as I approach the stairs. Her grey eyes meet mine as we pass.

"I'm happy that you returned safely," she says, her usually monotonous voice has some emotion in it today.

I do not stop as I approach her. I nod in the direction my blue-eyed daughter ran off in. "She is the only reason why I bother coming home at all."

* * *

**A/N: **SQUUUUEEEEE!! I am in love with this drabble. I love the tension between Mai and Zuko. I actually got the idea for this drabble from the Cingular/AT&T Commercial with the rabbit in the guy's suitcase and he's taking pictures of it and all. Only my twisted mind found SOME WAY to make it Zutara-ish.

So yeah. The reason Zuko's daughter has blue eyes...well I'll let you all figure it out.

Review!


	66. 161 Affair

**Disclaimer:** "And does your husband know the way--That the sunshine gleams from your wedding band?" -- Fall Out Boy. Uhm. I don't own the song. And this drabble isn't about a wife cheating, but rather a husband cheating. I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender either.

* * *

_"You're going away again?" she asked. Going away to_ her.

_"Yes," he said as he kept packing. _

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Earth Kingdom," he replied. Of _course_ he was. _

_"When will you be back?"_

_"I don't know." He was done now, making his way to the door he paused to place a dead kiss on her lips. _

XXXXXXXXXXXX

She takes a deep breath. She knows the words he tells her are all lies. She knows where he really goes, and it isn't for business.

She sighs, she hates living like this, but she doesn't want to give _her_ the satisfaction of leaving him. He tells her he loves her, but she knows they are just words. Ty Lee was right, she thinks, he never did develop real feelings for me.

So she takes her stand. She gave him all her best, but it still wasn't enough, and she can't stand sharing him with someone else. But she will not be the one to leave him; no, she'll make her feel the guilt when _he_ leaves.

"I'm sorry," he says.

"No, you're not."

"Mai," he pleads

"Leave!" she yells.

"She wouldn't want me to leave you."

"_I_ want you to leave. If you really love her, you'll leave me." She was giving him a choice. Does he really love her?

He does love her, so he leaves.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, I know I haven't updated all week, but I don't have time now that I'm not on break anymore. So that's what weekends are going to be for. Yeah, Zuko cheating on Mai. It's kind of an overdone concept, but I hope I made it unique in that it's from Mai's point of view.

Next drabble: A request from xyzisme.


	67. 318 Math

**Disclaimer:** I am so very sorry about the cheesy, corny, and horribly awful song, but I could not think of another to put in. "If you can't do the math--Then get out of the equation"-- Hilary Duf. GAG ME!!! Ugh. Hate that song, but it's the only one I could think of that had a reference to math in it. If someone knows a different song that I can use, please tell me quickly. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I'm so thankful that I don't own the song.**

* * *

**

Mr. Pakku slammed the door to the classroom closed. "Who had problems with the homework?" No one raised their hands. He sighed before asking, "Who actually did the homework?"

I looked around the room. My hand wasn't raised, and neither were the hands of several other students in our class. My eyes moved to the front of the room. Of course her hand would have been raised. Hers and maybe, I scanned the room to find the brainiac freshmen, yep, his hand was raised too. As our eyes met he glared at me. I'm not sure why.

Mr. Pakku rubbed his temple before picking up a piece of chalk and copying the first problem from the homework set onto the board.

"Mr. Pakku?" I began at the same time the girl in the front said, "Mr. Pakku?".

She turned around and looked at me, as if for the first time she was registering that I was indeed in the class.

Mr. Pakku turned around. "Yes, Katara?"

"I had a question about number thirty-six," she said, turning around very slowly.

"Excuse me, Mr. Pakku, but I believe I asked for you first," I said.

"Number thirty-six," Mr. Pakku muttered to himself as he flipped through the textbook on his desk.

"Mr. Pakku," I repeated. "I had a question about the material. I think I'm speaking for the entire class when I say that I didn't understand the homework."

"Number thirty-six, Katara, is rather simple," he continued, completely ignoring me. "If n is equal to 17, and the common difference is 7, use the equation we learned—"

"Mr. Pakku!" I shouted. I felt kind of bad afterward, I must have scared him something terrible from the shock that crossed his face. Of course he might just have been shocked that I spoke in his class. Nearly the end of the year and I hadn't said one word yet.

"What is it, Zuko?"

"I didn't understand the material at all. Could you review it quickly?"

"I'm answering a question for a student, let me just finish—"

"But Mr. Pakku, she understands it perfectly."

Katara turned around in her seat. "If I understood it perfectly, Slacker," she sneered, "then I wouldn't be asking him a question."

A collective 'oooohhhh' sounded from the class. I knew I just got dissed. "Alright, settle down," Mr. Pakku said. Turning to me he continued, "Zuko, if you are having problems with the lesson, then you should come and see me after class."

"No offense Mr. Pakku," I said, "but I don't have time to come to you during the day."

"Then we can set up a study time after school."

"I can't make it after school."

"Then I'll ask one of my students to tutor you during your free period," Mr. Pakku all but growled at me.

"That would be wonderful," I said, leaning back in my chair and narrowing my eyes.

"Katara would you tutor Zuko?" From where I was sitting I could tell she jumped a bit. I smirked.

"I'll help her, Mr. Pakku," Aang, the brainiac freshmen all but jumped out of his chair volunteering.

"Thank you, Aang," Mr. Pakku said. "But I'm sure Katara is quite capable."

"Fine," she said as the bell rang.

"Get out," Mr. Pakku said to the class.

Having never brought a notebook to Mr. Pakku's class, or any other class, before, I was the first one out of the classroom. "Zuko!" she called.

I stopped walking and waited for her to run up to me. She handed me a slip of paper. "My address," she said. "We can meet there after school. I'm sure my brother would love to meet you."

I stared at the piece of paper as she walked away. "Oh," she turned around and called. "Get a notebook."

"Lucky," Aang the brainiac freshmen said, walking up beside me. "I wish I needed help in math so that she could tutor me."

I rolled my eyes and slapped the piece of paper with her address to his chest. "Here. Have this instead, Brain." I said, and walked towards the parking lot.

"Don't you need this?" he asked.

I turned around and found him in the sea of students all flooding out from their last period classes. "Photographic memory," I shouted, tapping my head.

"So then how come you need help with…" he trailed off and his eyes narrowed at me.

I laughed and continued to my car. Yep. I am a genius.

* * *

**A/N: **This was a challenge from one of my most faithful reviewers, xyzisme, who always gives the best challenges. I say that only because hardly anyone else sends challenges. C'mon people!! Challenge Inbox is OPEN!

Anyway, after a week of paying much more attention in math class than usual, I got the inspiration to write this. Let me just say that it didn't end like I was planning on it ending. I'm actually not sure how I was planning for it to end, but it wasn't like this. But it's still good right? I think the ending is kinda creative, with how Zuko just pretends not to understand the material in order to get Katara to tutor him. Okay, poll time. How many people out there have actually done that in a class? Hmmm?

Review!


	68. 235 Irony

**Disclaimer:** So, yeah. I don't have a song or anything for this one. But I can make one up. Ahem! Sung to the tune of Merrily We Roll Along: I do not own Avatar, Avatar, Avatar. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. (This is the part where everyone claps and gives me a standing ovation!)

* * *

He visits her every year, bearing a bouquet of flowers, orange and red, to ease the mood. Orange was her least favourite colour, but red was her favorite, so he thinks they'll even each other out. He picks up what is left of the bouquet he brought last year and crumples the cellophane wrapping in his hand.

He'll waste the time squatting at the edge of the mound and pulling the weeds that have encroached on his beloved's resting place. And then he'll sit down in the grass and talk. Talk about how he misses her, about what he's been doing. She'll answer his questions, or comment every so often. When a bird flies overhead, she wants to change the subject; a fly around his head means she's getting annoyed; a breeze from the left is a yes, from the right a no. But most of the time, she'll just listen.

"There's something that's been on my mind. And I've been thinking about it for a while now," he says. "Its been quite a while. Five years, and nothing's changed from my side. I still love you, and I hope you know I always will…but, I think I'm ready to fill the hole you left. But only if you're ready to give the space away, of course."

The wind, wherever it was hiding, remained still. The sun disappeared behind a cloud, covering the world in a blanket of momentary darkness.

"If I have your blessing, I will be able to love again. Certainly not as deeply as before; no one could ever replace you. I will never forget you. Please," he begs.

He hears a bird's call and looks to the sky. A robin flew away from its nest in the tree above him.

"I'll see someone either way. Please give me your blessing. You can even choose my love, if you like."

He hears the rustling of the leaves before he feels the breeze. His scar tissue tingles at the soft caress of the wind. _Yes,_ she was saying_, you have my permission_.

He kisses his palm and places it against the cool granite of her head-stone. His fingers trace the lines made by the engraving of her name.

The footsteps were so soft on the grass behind him, for a moment he thinks he is imagining her presence. He sighs and stands.

"Excuse me," a feminine voice says.

Zuko started. He spins around and looks down at the short woman standing before him.

"You're standing on my mother's grave," she says, looking pointedly at his feet.

Zuko looks at the ground and sees it is rounded like a mound. "Oh, I…I'm sorry," he stammers, quickly stepping backwards.

The young woman looked up at his face. He had expected shock, disgust, and worst of all fear. But nothing crossed the girls face. He wonders for a moment, if indeed she is blind. She smiles, "That's alright, sometimes I sit on that grave," she points to his beloved's plot. "I hope you don't mind, seating is limited."

"I don't think she'll mind," Zuko says.

"You're mother?" the girl asks.

"My wife," he clarifies. He is surprised that with these words doesn't come the familiar ache.

The first emotion that crosses her face is pity, then sorrow. "I lost someone very dear to me as well."

He isn't sure if meeting this girl was fate, or some irony with perfect timing, but the tears that pooled and tricked down her face evoke a feeling within him that he hadn't felt in over five years.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asks.

The girl bends down and places her own bouquet of flowers, blue and white, on her mother's grave. She wipes her tears on her sleeve and nodded her head. "My name is Katara," she says, before motioning that he should follow her down the path through the graveyard.

* * *

**A/N: **So was it irony or fate that they met?

I think this is a cute drabble. Review.


	69. 90 Inside the World of the Spirits

**Disclaimer:** Just because we have reached drabble # 69 DOES NOT mean I will be submitting a perverted drabble, so get that idea out of your heads right now. Bye-bye perverted ideas! Anyway, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

Agni sighed. He looked down on the Firebender and Waterbender. Arguing. Again.

La groaned. She was getting tired of this routine as well. "Can't we just…_you_ know…give them a little help?" she asked.

"No!" Agni cried. "They _have_ to work it out for themselves." He winced as the girl smacked the Firebender across his cheek.

"But they've been like this for two thousand years. Isn't there a limit on how many times a person can be reincarnated?"

"Ahem," Avatar Roku coughed.

"Sorry, Avatar Roku. I meant regular—well, _you_ know what I meant," La stammered.

"Apology accepted. What seems to be the problem _this_ time?"

"They've been fighting for so long I don't even think _they_ remember." Agni's hand flew to his forehead as the boy said something that angered her even more. "_When_ will he learn…" he muttered.

"Please, Agni! I'm tired of reincarnating them!" La whined.

"But they _have_ to find their love _themselves_!" he protested.

"We can't even just _prod_ them in the right direction?"

Silence. Agni rubbed his temples. He looked at Roku.

"Leave me out of this one, Agni. I'm in love with her, too," he said. Roku sighed and shook his head. Giving both spirits a warning look he said, "_Aang_ may say no to this, but if you want _my_ agreement, then you have it."

Agni turned to La. "Let's end this."

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, yeah. I know. Lame, Unoriginal, Cheesy, Boring, etc, etc. _I_ thought it was somewhat original, cause I mean how many drabbles do you get from the perspective of the spirits? Not many, right? But yeah, I really don't like this drabble.


	70. 266 Widower

**Disclaimer: **"Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling in at night." - Edna St. Vincent Millay. Any resemblence to anyone's actual life is purely coincidental, although I did get the idea for this drabble out of an issue of _People_ magazine. So this is really only supposed to be based off of one man's life; anyone else's is coincidence. If you haven't read the story of the man whose wife died just after having their baby, it is heartbreaking. This is the story with a little Zutara twist at the end, and what I sincerly hope will happen for the man. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

It was ironic that my daughter's first word was "dizzy." It was her mother's last word.

Mai died within twenty-four hours of Kimi's birth. She stood from the hospital bed to greet our little Princess. She stumbled a little, grabbing the edge of her bed.

"Zuko, I feel so dizzy." And then she fell.

Lights and sirens were going off inside the room. The doctors and nurses ran into our room, and somehow I end up standing in the hall. I look through the glass, frozen as they call out "Code Blue" and my high-school sweetheart is gone. Our daughter doesn't wake up at the commotion around her.

* * *

It has been six months since Mai died. A group of new mothers in the area have opened their arms to Kimi and myself. I know they feel sorry for me, and even sorrier for Kimi, but the thing is that they all _want _to help. And I hope that I've seemed grateful, because I really and truly am. I don't know what I would have done without all their help. I am now probably the only man in the world who doesn't shy away from a baby's diaper.

One thing Kimi doesn't lack in her life is friends. Almost every day we're both over at someone's home for dinner. Despite that I still hardly eat. In the first three months I lost thirty pounds. I've slowly been gaining some of it back, but it doesn't show.

One day a neighbor's sister rang our doorbell. Without even waiting for me to invite her inside, she marched right to my kitchen and placed her basket of muffins on the counter. She began to clean up. I had meant to get to washing the plates eventually, but the soap smelled exactly like Mai's hands used to. It was awkward having someone—a total stranger—bustle around my kitchen, but I smiled as I watched her. From the back, she looked a lot like Mai.

"My name is Katara," she said, turning to face me. "Where's Kimi? Did she have her breakfast yet?"

I found myself at a loss for words. "In the bedroom. I just fed her."

"Then please sit down and eat." She eyed me up and down. "You look like a bum."

From that day forward Katara hasn't left my side. As much as I still love Mai, and always will, I've found a new self with Katara. She'll never take Mai's place, but I know that she'll be an excellent mother to Kimi.

That's why, when my daughter's first word is "dizzy", I freeze, but Katara scoops Kimi up and twirls her around, cooing at my daughter's achievement.

* * *

**A/N: **"Sadness flies away on the wings of time." Jean de La Fontaine.

Okay. Seriously, who cried just a little bit at the story? Did I manage to pull any heartstrings?

This drabble, as said in the disclaimer, was based off of a true event. Only the bit of Zutara at the end where Katara comes with muffins(!!) is not part of the real-life story.


	71. 48 Fortunes

**Disclaimer:** "We make our own fortunes and we call them fate." - Benjamin Disraeli. Yeah, I don't know the guy. And also, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

"Phoof!" Aang sighed as he plopped down beside Katara. She smiled at the airbender. "How'd training go?" Katara asked, looking up only momentarily from the laundry basin.

Aang shrugged. "Alright I guess. Zuko's one powerful bender though."

Katara stopped ringing out the laundry…_powerful bender_. Those were the same words Aunt Wu had used to describe her…

"Aang…what did you just say?" she asked, unsure that she heard him correctly.

"I said that we should probably get more leachy nuts for Momo the next time—"

"No! Before that, what did you say?"

"Oh! I said that Zuko was a powerful bender. It took all my energy just to keep up with him today!"

"Hey guys! Good training today Aang…I think you're ready for the next set. Katara? Are you okay?" The Firebender placed his hand tentatively on her shoulder.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed, jumping up and smacking his hand away. She stalked off muttering something about how fortunes don't come true…fortunes don't _have _to come true…it's not in a million years going to happen…

"What'd you say to her?" Sokka asked Aang, as he and Zuko exchanged a confused look.

"Nothing really, just that Zuko was a powerful bender."

Sokka's face turned white. Then he too turned and walked away, as if in a trance, muttering, "Fortunes don't come true…its just witchcraft…its not _really_ gonna happen…they don't come true!" He kicked a rock, but it just bounced off the tree and flew back to hit him in the head. "FORTUNES DON'T COME TRUE!" he screeched.

Zuko looked over Aang's head, "Girls are crazy…"

"Sokka's not a girl…" Aang said.

"No, but Toph is."

And sure enough as the Avatar turned around he saw Toph rolling on the ground, laughing hysterically at the irony of the story Katara had told her about a certain "wonderfully accurate" Fortuneteller.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow. So yeah, I'm actually alive and haven't abandoned this. Yet.

Just kidding. I'm not even going to give a lame excuse as to why I haven't updated in like two weeks, because there is none. I've just had a complete and utter lack of inspiration. The one challenge I recieved is making my brain actually work, so it's going to be a while before it's completely finished. BUT I PROMISE IT WILL BE UP!!

So yeah. Did you like this drabble? I think its funny.


	72. 239 Memory

**Disclaimer:** "I don't wanna waste the weekend - If you don't love me pretend - A few more hours and then its time to go - As my train rolls down the East Coast - I wonder how you'll keep warm - It's too late to cry, too broken to move on." - Ron Pope : A Drop In The Ocean. Sigh. Amazing song. I wanted to update with this drabble for a really long time. I don't own the song nor do I own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

He closed his eyes.

The memory is a bit blurred, but at least he still has it. They only see each other a few times a year. He tries to visit at least once a month, but they each have their own lives now, and its hard to get away from the day-to-day bustle of life. But he was able to spare some time and visit her for a long weekend.

It certainly wasn't enough.

He sighs as he leans against the cool window of the train. The cool of the glass against his scarred cheek reminds him of her cool hand, her light touch.

_"Hold me tighter,"_ _she said, leaning against his shoulder. And he did. _

_"There's not enough time for me to make these last years up to you. Not enough time for me to make up all my wrong choices," he said. _

_"These moments are all we need."_

_"But its still not enough."_

_"No," she agreed, sadly. _

Sometimes he wondered why he lusted after a married woman. Sometimes he wondered if she really loved him, or if he was just a way to escape what she had gotten herself so unhappily into. Despite her claims that she still loved him, he couldn't be sure.

_"Do you have to go?" she asked, holding her robes close to her chest. _

_He looked up at her from the bottom of the staircase. "Yes."_

_She nodded, taking in a deep, shuttering breath. "Well, take care of yourself, then."_

_"I will," he said. He nodded goodbye and walked toward the carriage that was waiting to take him to the train station. Once inside, he pulled back the curtain, but she was already gone. _

He kept hoping that someday her husband would not come home. Was that horrible of him? It was, but he couldn't decide what the motives for this wish were. Could he truly want _her_? Or did he only want to see her suffer without her love like he had been doing all these years without her?

His head knocks against the window, breaking his reverie. He gingerly places his hand beneath his head on the window, pretending it is her forehead up against his. The cool of her skin against the warmth of his. He drifts off into sleep, and as the train moves steadily eastward, away from her, he idly wonders how she'll keep warm without him there beside her.

* * *

**A/N:** Sigh. Please don't bash this one people. It's just so amazing, how can you?

I promise I will be getting around the challenges soon. As soon as I can think of a way to use the word "outlier" in combination with the Foaming Mouth Guy. HMMMMM. Dilemas, dilemas.

Review!


	73. 189 Possession

**Disclaimer:** "See the things you want as already yours. Think of them as yours, as belonging to you, as already in your possession." - Robert Collier. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

If it weren't for the lack of bending ability, she could be the Avatar's daughter. She could be his daughter.

But as he sits and concentrates on the sight before him, he knows that she is not—and will never be, truly—_his_ daughter. She has deep blue eyes and a slender frame; the roundness of her face is so much like her mother's. And in her smile, when she does smile, he sees so much of her mother; she doesn't smile often though, a trait of the Fire Lord that passed on to his daughter. Her jet black hair and pale skin could pass as inheritance from him. But if she were his she would be a bender.

He looks at her beauty, the one thing that her mother ever gave her. Her mother will never be around to marvel at her daughter's growth and development with each passing day. Her mother who will never be there to see her walk down the aisle on her father's arm. Her mother—who had sworn never to miss a moment of her daughter's life—will never be there.

But he will be. Both because he wants to be and because he has to be.

The girl is his in a way, and he loves her. But remembering that she is not truly his brings anger into his mind, making it seem more of an obligation to watch over her. But he loved her mother, more than his own life did he love her. Her mother never loved him that way.

But, he thinks, even though Katara didn't love me, maybe their—her—daughter can.

And although the child is—was—hers, now she belongs to the Avatar.

* * *

**A/N: **Eh, not one of the best. Just a couple of notes, this is Aang looking at Katara and Zuko's daughter and seeing similarities between Katara and her daughter. Aang took in Katara's daughter when her parents died. I don't know how they died, everyone can think something different if they want to. But yeah, Aang's basically wishing that Katara's daughter was biologically his.

Oh yeah, and the part about the daughter not being a bender, it came from an idea that only parent's of the same nationality would give birth to benders. So like two Water Tribe people would have a Waterbender, but someone from the Water Tribe and somone from the Fire Nation couldn't have a child who was a bender because their nationalities are different. Aang could have had a child who was a bender because he's the Avatar and therefore a part of all the nations.

Wow. Long. Review!


	74. 310 Cold

**Disclaimer:** "Life is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love." - Anonymous. Wow. Powerful quote. I love it. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

Sokka slumped on my shoulder as I helped him down the steps of the Fire Palace. From the stairs I saw Toph's waiting head snap up as if she had been called.

"What is it Toph?" I called above the booming sounds of the battle. She didn't acknowledge that she heard me. Even from a distance I could see panic cross her face.

She began sprinting back towards the palace. "Go! Leave Sokka," she shouted as she ran.

"Toph," I said, but she ran up the stairs without missing a beat.

"Go." She pulled Sokka from my arms. When I still didn't move she said, "It's Zuko."

Rationality fought against me as I ran back into the thick of the battle. Zuko had told me to get Sokka to safety. He said he would be fine. I skidded around the corner.

* * *

"You've always been weak," my father sneered.

I held my hands closer to my chest, preparing to strike. "I'm strong enough to stop this."

My father laughed his horrible, cackling laugh. The laugh of a madman. "No one will ever stop this. This," he said, looking at my face, "is just the beginning."

Our lightning collided.

* * *

Skidding around the corner, I was greeted by the sound of an explosion. The floor shook.

"Zuko," I shrieked, running harder towards the room I had left him in. I had left him. And now he was in danger. Because of me.

The doors at the end of the hallway only seemed to be moving farther and farther away. After the noise there was nothing, only the pat-pat-pat of my feet against the marble floors. My panting. The voice inside my head praying that he would be alright.

The doors opened and black smoke came billowing out. A figure stumbled out of the smog.

When the smoke cleared I saw him leaning against the gold-encrusted doors. "Zuko," I breathed.

His head lifted and he took a step forward to meet me. Then he fell.

"No," I screamed. I ran towards him as he crumpled to the ground.

I threw myself down beside him and rolled him over onto his back. One look at his chest—bloody and torn apart—and I knew that…that he…Cradling his head, I sobbed huge, bone shattering sobs. I wiped his hair, plastered to his forehead, out of his face. His eyes stared blankly ahead as I reached for my water pouch.

With what little water I had left, I coated my hands and placed them above his open wound.

I knew. There hadn't been much water left in my pouch. There wasn't enough.

"No, oh, please, no," I cried. I dropped the water uselessly. It blended with the blood to form a pool around us.

I pressed my lips against his cheek. Still sobbing I whispered, "I'm so sorry."

His almost sightless eyes flickered to me. "I…" As he spoke blood pooled at his mouth. Doing what little I could, I bent it away. "I love you," he breathed.

My tears fell down onto his face as his unseeing amber eyes closed.

"I love you," I whispered, choking on my tears. I kissed his cold lips one last time before turning and sobbing into his neck.

* * *

**A/N: **Saddy McSadSad isn't it? I killed off Zuko. It just occurred to me that I kill off one of them in almost every single one of my drabbles.

Anyway...the inspiration for this drabble came from the movie version of the book _Cold Mountain_ by Charles Frazier with Nicole Kidman and Jude Law. It's a Zutara-adapted version of the last scene where Inman dies. Sorry I spoiled it for everyone, but ya'll should watch it anyway. The book is really good too, but it just drags on and on and on and...

Review!!


	75. 319 The Outlier

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do claim to own this drabble as it may just be the best one I've ever written. Shoutouts to xyzisme for the awesome challenge that she sent to me that is the topic of this drabble. And shoutouts to DiabolicalKitsutora for her challenges as well, one of which will be up shortly (it's a surprise which one).

Quote for this chapter: "Falling in love with someone isn't always going to be easy. Anger...tears...laughter...But when you want to be together despite it all, that's when you truly love another. I'm sure of it." - Anonymous.

* * *

He enters the small room behind her and closes the door before he unleashes his feelings. "I can't believe you forgot our anniversary!"

Katara slumps on the small bed and buries her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, Aang. I didn't mean to…"

"I don't understand Katara. This isn't like you," Aang says softly.

"I know. I'm really sorry, but I…I just forgot. I've been…really busy," she blabbers.

Aang's grey eyes tighten. "Oh, I see."

"Aang it's not what you think!" Katara looks up at her boyfriend.

"What am I thinking Katara?" Aang says, his volume growing.

"Your thinking about me and Zuko," she chokes out his name.

"I am."

"Aang, it's over between us. It's been over for a long time," she says, trying to hide the sadness in her voice.

"We both know it's not," Aang replies

"I love you now, Aang," Katara insists.

"I've heard you say that about a lot of guys, Katara," he says sadly. "You were so sure you loved Jet. And before we were together you were in love with Haru."

Katara shook her head. "I never loved Haru."

"You can't lie to me, Katara. You're no good at lying. You did love him," Aang says. "Y'know I even tried to grow my own mustache, because I thought that's what you liked about him."

"Haru's mustache had nothing to do with my feelings for him. I liked him because he was a good person."

"Which brings me to Zuko," Aang growls the older boy's name. "He wasn't a good person."

"He was just…troubled."

"How can you defend him after he hurt you?"

Katara blanches. _He never hurt me,_ she thinks. _But Aang doesn't know the entire truth. And I won't tell him_. "You don't know what you're talking about," she cries, springing to her feet.

"I was there, Katara! I know what he did to you."

"No, you don't, Aang," Katara shouts. "You have no idea how much he loved me."

"Katara, you wouldn't recognize love if it bit you in the butt," Aang bellows.

"And what do you know about love?" his friend roars.

Aang's eyes narrow. "I know enough about love," he hisses, "to know when I've found it."

"And I don't, so forgive me, Avatar," she sneers, "if I am not as in touch with my feelings as you are."

"At least I'm not a cold and unfeeling—"

"That's enough!" Katara shouts. "You need to get out, now," she says, opening the door to her small room in the inn.

Sokka tumbles through the doorway. Toph stands outside the door, her usual wicked smile gone and she looks down at her bare feet, for once ashamed of being caught.

Aang steps over Sokka and storms down the hall.

"Sorry, Katara, Toph and I were just—" Sokka starts as he picked himself off the dusty floor.

"Get. Out," Katara growls. The slamming of the door shakes the walls of the old inn.

* * *

A soft knock on the door wakes her up later that night. "Go away, Aang," she says loudly, rolling over on her side and facing the grimy window. She hears the door open and close silently.

"I'm not Aang," his husky voice says.

"Zuko," she exclaims, sitting up and holding the thin blankets around her. "You shouldn't be here." He makes no motion to leave and stays in the doorway with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"I heard you fighting with Aang."

"I was," she says, pausing. "It wasn't about you though," she lies.

Zuko steps forward into the beam of moonlight that shines through the window of the inn. "Do you love me?"

Aang's voice echoes through her head, _You wouldn't recognize love…_ Katara shakes her head. "It doesn't matter. It never should have happened. I had a boyfriend," she says, holding the blankets closer to her chest.

"Are you trying to convince me, or yourself?" Zuko asks.

"Don't twist my words, Zuko," she warns, her voice icy. "I don't want to upset anyone. Especially Aang...or you. I'm just…I'm confused."

Zuko takes another step forward and sits down on the edge of the bed. "I don't understand, Katara. You and Aang…he's so young. He treats you like…"

"You don't even know what it's like between me and Aang," she growls.

"Then tell me," he says. "Because when I kiss you, when I think about kissing you…and…You know it means something. I dare you to tell me that being with Aang is better than what we have, because we both know that it isn't true." Zuko's hand moves closer to her leg, resting beneath the sheets. Katara inches away from him until she is leaning against the small headboard.

Sadness flickers through her sapphire eyes, but in an instant it is gone. "There is nothing between us anymore," she whispers.

"We both know you're lying."

* * *

Zuko watches sadly as Katara and Aang engage in conversation on the foot of the statue of Kyoshi.

"Aaacckk," someone coughs beside him. Zuko turns to see a man, probably in his early thirties, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

"Can I help you?" Zuko asks, not entirely sure how he would help a man on this island that he is also a stranger on.

"Icks touf bewin an otweer," the man drools as spittle flies from his mouth.

"Excuse me?"

The man wipes his mouth again, leaving a large stain on his shirt cuff. "Outlier," he manages to say before the saliva foams at the corners of his mouth again.

Zuko looks around nervously. "I don't know what you mean."

The man with the foaming mouth lifts the hem of his shirt and unties a string holding a cup to the waistband of his pants. He brings the cup to his mouth and spits. "It's what you are," he says.

"A what?"

"An otweer," the man says. He spits into his cup as he points to Aang and Katara talking together on the feet of Kyoshi. "Outlier. Someone on the outside; someone different."

"What do you know about my problems?"

"I'm an outlier too," the man says, spitting again. He looks into his cup and turns it upside down, allowing his saliva to trickle down the sides and onto the dirt of the center of the small town. "It's not easy being on the outside. Never having anything that you really want."

Zuko turns his attention back to Katara and Aang just as he says something that makes her smile sadly and then quickly get up and run towards the inn they are staying in. His heartstrings pull, seeing her unhappy.

"She's convinced herself that she doesn't love me," he says sadly as the door to the inn slams behind her.

The man studies the door to the inn, and then spits before answering. "As long as you love her, it doesn't matter much, does it?"

Zuko thinks on that for a moment. The man claps him on the shoulder. "This island doesn't need two outliers," he says, before walking away. Zuko watches him go; watches as the villagers part to make a walkway for the man. They act as if he has the plague. The man turns and smiles at Zuko at the end of the street. He spits again before shouting, "You don't want to end up like me."

* * *

Sometimes when she's upset, Katara dreams of a time when she was truly happy.

-------------

_"Do you ever think about what it would be like if we…you know…if we," I trail off. He is the only thing on my mind—when I wake, when I dream._

_"Right now, and always, it's all I think about," he whispers into my ear. His voice sends shivers up my spine. He positions himself on top of me. "We could do it now," he says, kissing my neck. "I love you so much, you know." _

_"I know you do." I remember the feeling of his fingers tracing a path along my stomach. They go too far down. "And I know that I want to," I say, grabbing his hand and intertwining our fingers._

_-------------_

Those were the days when their love was happy. Being with him was as effortless as breathing. But, she sighs as she rolls on her pillow, something changed between them, and she's still not sure of what it was. For the second night in a row someone knocks on her door. Katara's eyes flash open but she makes no sound to the person in the hall.

She hears the door open and close again. The footsteps are light against the old floorboards and at first she thinks it is Toph come in to check on her. But as the tiny bed dips and groans with weight that feels too heavy to belong to Toph she knows who it is. Katara remains perfectly still.

Zuko is trying not to wake her up as he leans himself on one elbow and moves closer to her on the small bed.

"I'm awake," she says.

"I know," he smiles around the words. "You were always a bad actress."

She still doesn't flip over. "What are you doing back here?" She flinches when she feels his fingertips stroke her arm. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm thinking of when we were happy."

"I was too," she admits.

"What happened to us?"

"I don't know."

He brushes her thick hair away from her neck. It has been so long since they've been together like this, but yet with Zuko here beside her again it doesn't feel foreign. "I've missed you."

She flips over on her pillow. His face is so close to hers. "Aang and I…we…," she trails off. She feels the tears pooling behind her eyes, desperately wanting to fall.

"Shhhh," Zuko says, smiling and stroking her face.

"I never loved him," she says, her eyes search his face for some kind of understanding.

"I know."

"I'm sorry I hurt you," Katara whispers. Zuko uses his thumb to wipe the tears away. "Stop apologizing. There's nothing to be sorry for."

She nods wordlessly.

They lie there together in silence. "I should go," he finally whispers.

She shakes her head. "No. I need you to stay here with me," she begs. "Please?"

Zuko chuckles at her request. "Come here," he says, pulling her closer to his chest. "I'm not going anywhere just yet."

Katara looks up at him with wide eyes. "Aang never spent the night with me. He never held me close."

"I'm not Aang," Zuko says, stroking his thumb over her lips.

"I just…I forget what this is like. Remind me," she says, closing her eyes.

Zuko hesitates before pressing his lips gently against hers for only the faintest of moments until they both decide to deepen the kiss. Katara sighs as she wraps her arms around Zuko's neck. His hands tangle in her hair and he rolls his body on top of hers, pinning her to the mattress.

Her lips go still all too suddenly for him. His head falls next to hers on the pillow. He's ready for more, but not ready for what she says next. "I want you Zuko. Being with you was the best experience of my life. It meant more to me than I can explain," Katara says, panting. "I never stopped thinking about you. I never stopped loving you and I really, really want you to kiss me again."

Zuko smiles. "Then stop wasting time." His mouth closes over hers quickly and feelings that she thought had been put away for ever come out of hibernation, alerting her that this is real, and that she cannot let it go again.

* * *

**A/N: **W.O.W. I'm sorry that this took so long to finish, but please tell me it was worth it. The challenge (as random as everything was) actually fit together pretty nicely once I had a basic idea. So xyzisme gave me a challenge that I had to write a drabble including: (1) Haru's 'Sexy-Fine' Mustache Hair, (2) The Foaming-Mouth-Guy, (3) The word "Outlier" (which I had to look up), and (4) A Kiss. I HOPE I DID YOU PROUD.

Wow. I just checked and there's only 25 chapters left until we get to 100! I'm excited. But sad. (Rubs hands together and laughs evilly) Time to think of a new project!

Review!


	76. 50 What

**Disclaimer: **"I'm not listening, not anymore - The more I learn, the more I ignore - I'm not listening, not anymore - The more I hear, the more I ignore - No, I'm not listening, not anymore" Not Listening - By Papa Roach. I do not own any rights to the song and I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, but sure, I'd love to!

* * *

"Aargh! He is the most irritating and egotistical maniac to ever walk the earth! It's like he was summoned by the Spirits straight from my own personal hell!"

"Who is?" Aang asked, whizzing by a raging Katara atop an air-scooter.

"Zuko is!"

"But he doesn't say anything…" Aang said, confused.

"I know! It's like he thinks he can just waltz right in here and take up space and eat our food and-"

"Katara," Aang said, trying to calm her down, "it may just _seem_ like that—"

"No, Aang! It only _seems_ like that because it _is _like that…Stupid Firebender trying to make a move on me…" she trailed off, muttering unintelligibly.

"What? That's what this is about, Katara! Zuko _likes _you?"

"Yes! Can you believe it!" Katara growled and shuddered.

Aang stammered, his mouth opening and closing like an elephant koi's, but Katara continued anyway. "After chasing us around the world day after day, accounting for the many inconveniences he's put us in, trying to capture—and to _kill_—you. It's like he just expects m—_us—_to forgive him lickety-split! Well it's not happening!"

"You…Zuko…You don't like him, right?" Aang stuttered.

This flustered Katara. "Idunnoknow," she blurted. "He was _kinda_ cute when his face got all red and he stammered like a—"

"You didn't _have _to answer…" Aang said dejectedly, his shoulders slumping.

"—and how his hair is _always_ in his face, all shaggy—"

"You really can stop now…" He didn't appreciate hearing about Zuko's bad-boy-but-good looks.

"But maybe I like him…"

"Okay..that's great too, Katara…" Aang said, no longer paying attention to his friend.

"Hmm...You know, I think I will go find him…"

"Yeah, you go—" Aang repeated.

"And maybe I'll tell him how I feel…"

"You tell that Firebender—"

"Zuko, I think I like you, too!" Katara clapped her hands and smiled, running off to the training grounds where she had left a very red and embarrassed Zuko.

"Yeah…Zuko, take that! She—" Aang's head suddenly popped up as he registered what Katara had said. "WHADDYA MEAN YOU THINK YOU LIKE HIM?!"he shouted after her.

* * *

**A/N: **HEHE. Poor, poor Aang. If only he didn't have the attention span of a--what was I talking about? COOKIE!

Okay, but seriously, poor Aang, he could have had Katara if he said something right. Aw well, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Eh, not as good as some others, but I wanted to give ya'll something to tide you over until I get some of the challenges finished. So until then I'll be pulling out older ones from the collection. Enjoy the antiques!

Review!


	77. 280 Get A Hearing Aid

**Disclaimer:** Unfortunately, I cannot find a suitable quote and/or song lyric that would fit with the topic of this drabble. All I can say is that it can be looked at as a sequel to the previous chapter, or it can stand on its own. The concepts are kind of similar, only with Sokka this time. Ya gotta love Sokka! So yeah, if I was going to use a quote and/or song lyric, just for reference, I probably wouldn't own it. And I definitely don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

* * *

"Sokka, I want to ask you something."

My brother looked up from his sword. "What?"  
I tugged him up and turned him to look out the window of the temple into the courtyard. Zuko and Aang sat meditating below us as part of Aang's training.

"Do you think he loves me?"

"Oh," he said, sitting down again and leaving me alone by the window. "Oh, love."

"Well, do you?"

My brother shrugged. "Do you know what love is? Poems are written about it every day but if there is such a thing in life I'll be damned if I know."

"Sokka that's the smartest thing you've ever said and yet it still doesn't help me!" I sighed as I stared down at the black haired bender.

"I think he loves you. He's prepared to tell you, too. And he must really love you, because I know that to do so, he'd be risking everything," Sokka said, lovingly polishing his sword. "All that power gone to waste…"Sokka clucked his tongue. "If that means love to you then yes, he loves you."

"Well that's enough for me," I said with satisfaction. "Zuko loves me and is prepared to go through hell and give everything up for us to be together... That sounds like love to me," I sighed.

"Wait. Zuko? You love _Zuko_?" my brother all but announced to the entire world. "I thought we were talking about Aang!"

* * *

**A/N: **Poor, poor, and very mistaken Sokka. How come it's always that guys and girls can maintain a conversation while each is talking about different things and thinking that the other person is on the same page, while they may not even be in the same book? Hmmm. This is why I start all my conversations with "Y'know when so and so did that on this particular date and so and so and whatsherface was there?". Even then some people don't clue in until five minutes later...

Anyhoodle... Review!


	78. 179 Goodbye

**Disclaimer:** "Don't say goodbye - Cause I don't want to hear those words tonight - Cause maybe its not the end for you and I - And although we knew - This time would come for me and you - Don't say anthing tonight - If you're gonna say goodbye" Don't Say Goodbye : Skillet. Since I am not a member of this amazing band, I do not own any rights to the song whatsoever. And because I am neither Mike nor Bryan, I also do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not owning anything sucks.

* * *

"Wait!" he shouted. She stopped climbing the staircase and turned around to meet his gaze.

She couldn't speak. Her throat was closing around itself—trapping her feelings inside. So she stared at him, her gaze hard, trying not to betray her emotions. His gaze was softer, conveying a million thoughts but yet only one at the same time.

"Were you really going to let me leave without saying goodbye?" he asked.

She nodded, adding brokenly, "I had planned on it."

Giving her a sad smile, he opened his arms wide. The wall she had constructed around her heart, the one that kept her emotions at bay, finally broke.

She stumbled down the uneven staircase and fell forward into the familiar comfort of his arms. The waterworks began, but he remained still, letting her soil his shirt. He placed his chin on her head, tucking her face into the crevice between his neck and chest. His hands rubbed circles on her back, and he whispered soothing words to her. He could feel the moisture in his own eyes, but he blinked, keeping back the tears. He had to be strong for her.

His uncle came and tapped him lightly on the shoulder. "I'll be waiting in the boat," the elderly man said.

The boy held her just a little bit tighter—memorizing the feel of her body against his—for it might be the last time they would ever be together.

After a lifetime of sobbing and comforting, the girl pulled away. Dabbing at her blue eyes with the back of her sleeve, she muttered about how she was fine, how his uncle was waiting for him…and how he should go.

The boy nodded. He understood that anything else would be too painful for her and silently offered his hand to her. She took it firmly and shook it, keeping her eyes away from his. Her intention had been to avoid goodbye all-together, their separation would not have seemed so permanent if she had succeeded. It had been his intention too, but seeing her so close to the edge, he knew just one hug would not be enough.

Before she could register that her body was moving, Zuko had already pulled her close again. For the briefest of moments his lips closed on hers. Pulling away, he took one last, long look at her and then turned and walked away.

Katara gently touched her fingers to her lips, then collapsed on the staircase and began to cry.

She had been fine until he came to say goodbye.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, so I guess the inspiration for this one comes from what happened to a friend of mine when we were leaving a vacation spot. It also comes a bit from the fact that I really hate saying "Goodbye" to people and if I ever had to say goodbye for good to someone, this is probably what I would do.

Anyway...review!!

And to those who I owe challenges...uhhh...I'll get them up as soon as I can...


	79. 314 Permission

**Disclaimer:** Ignore the country music. "Last night in his sleep - I heard him call out your name - This ain't the first time - He's done it before - And it's hard to face the truth - I'm the fool in love with the fool - Who's still in love with you" The Fool : Lee Ann Womack. This was the first song that came into my mind. I do not own it. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, either.

* * *

"I've seen the way he looks at you," she sneered.

"I don't know what you mean."

His wife leaned back in her chair and folded her hands. "Of course you do."

Katara shifted nervously in her chair. "No. I don't."

"Once upon a time we were happy. Once upon a time he didn't have feelings for you. And once upon a time he looked at me that way."

"I still don't understand, Mai," Katara said.

"Stop playing dumb," the Fire Lady hissed. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

Quietly, and almost mechanically, Katara said, "I am in love with your husband."

Mai smiled a wicked smile. "And he is in love with you."

The two women stared at each other. Gray eyes, in the end, defeated blue. Katara looked away and mumbled, "Yes, he is."

"You didn't think you could hide it for long, did you?"

"It's over now, Mai," she said looking at the older woman. There were already lines drawn around her mouth. Her hair had begun to go gray.

Mai cocked her eyebrow slightly and narrowed her eyes. "Your mouth says its over, but your eyes say its not."

"Believe me."

"Did you know he's planning to ask the Council for a divorce? Yes, because of you, no doubt."

"Mai, I would never…I never asked him," Katara took a breath to steady herself. "I told him it was over for us."

The older woman sighed a weary sigh. "Say that as much as you want. It may be over for you, but he still loves you. He's loved you for a very long time and I can't begin to understand why."

"But he married you."

"Yes, and for a while he might have thought he loved me. But then you walked back into his life. I was nothing more to him than a decoy; I see now that he's always loved you," she finished sadly.

"I never meant for it to continue…He knew that I—"

"Did you know that at the last party, after you excused yourself to get some air, he spent all the time you were gone looking for you?" she asked, staring down at her long fingers and twisting her wedding band. "He can't bear it even if you're gone from his sight for even a moment," she laughed quietly to herself.

"I'll talk to him. I'll make him see that what he's doing is wrong and that its hurting you and—"

"And he'll just keep doing it anyway," Mai said, smiling sadly into Katara's face. "He's happier with you than he ever was with me. What he's doing he's doing for love."

* * *

**A/N: **So this is my version of what would happen between Mai and Katara when Mai finds out that Zuko's been having an affair. If Mai were actually in character I think she might include a couple of knives and few liters of blood in this conversation, but this is my drabble, so she's just tired and she's giving up because she knows it would make Zuko happy and that it's useless to try and stop him. (Kind of like how she acted towards him during the _Boiling Rock_ episode.)

Other than that...I hope I managed to make it somewhat realistic.


	80. 322 Transfiguration

**Disclaimer:** Avatar: The Last Airbender is mine like potatoes grow on trees. Don't ask.

* * *

Katara stroked Momo's head as he lay sleeping on her lap. "You know, I think that if Momo was a human I'd marry him."

Hearing selectively, Sokka scoffed. "Why would you want to marry a lemur?"

"No, Sokka. I said that I'd marry him if he was _human_," Katara repeated.

Again, because of his selective hearing, Sokka said, "Who are you marrying? You can't marry anyone!"

Toph pointed over her shoulder. "Your brother-in-law is in the woods, Sokka. Go get him."

Sokka narrowed his eyes. "There's no woods around here, Toph."

Toph shrugged and then turned her attention to Katara. "Why would you want to marry a human Momo? He can't be that good looking…aren't his ears are really big."

Katara laughed. "I could get over the ears. He's really sweet," she said, as Momo yawned and shifted in his sleep.

"What are we talking about?" Aang asked, coming over to the circle with Zuko behind him, sweaty from Firebending practice.

"Why Katara wants to marry Momo," Toph said nonchalantly.

"She's not going to get hitched to a lemur," Sokka muttered.

"Momo's a lot better than some of the men out there," Katara challenged.

"When's the wedding?" Sokka blurted, considering what his sister had said.

"Not all men are bad, Katara," Aang said, blushing.

"I know, Aang. But my view has been tainted." She stared at Zuko who pointedly refused to challenge her gaze with one of his own. "And besides, Momo has all the qualities that I want my husband to have. He's sweet, he loves me…he's kind to animals…"

"That's because he _is_ an animal," Sokka said. "Can we not talk about this? Because you're not getting married anytime soon. You're too young to be having these thoughts. You should be playing with dolls."

"I'm fifteen Sokka."

"So?"

"Relax, Meat Man," Toph said, leaning back on her hands. "Sweetness hasn't had a lot of experience being around boys. We're only joking."

"We're boys, aren't we?" Aang said, shocked, gesturing wildly between himself, Sokka and Zuko.

"You two are her brothers. And Sparky there is like an unwanted cousin."

"Thanks, Toph," Aang muttered dejectedly. Zuko's lips tightened at the comment.

"Whatever," Sokka said, standing. "She's my sister and I get to say who she does and does not marry. And you're not going to marry Momo!"

"Sokka! I don't want to marry a lemur!" Katara shouted after her brother. "It was just hypothetical and—"

"Don't use words I can't understand, Katara!" Sokka shouted back.

"Don't walk away from me when I'm talking!" Katara screamed, leaping up and disturbing the sleeping Momo.

"Well, er, who wants to go swimming?" Aang asked. Momo screeched and flew towards the large fountain in the courtyard. "Okay, then. Toph?"

"I'll be right there, Aang," she said.

As Aang sprinted off and the echoes of Katara and Sokka's voices bounced off the walls of the temple, Toph turned her attention to Zuko. "You're not really unwanted, you know."

"I know," he rasped.

"Then what's the problem?"

"She still doesn't want me, though." It wasn't an answer to her question as much as it was a continuation of what he had said before.

"Maybe if you tell her how you feel about her she'll come around."

"I don't feel anything towards her," he snapped.

Toph smiled as his heartbeat accelerated. "Someone's in denial," she sang, elbowing him in his ribs.

Zuko smiled at the little Earthbender and ruffled her hair. "Thanks, Shorty."

She smiled and got to her feet. "Anytime, Sparky." She started to walk towards the fountain, but stopped as an idea hit her. "Y'know, Sparky, if you want, I think Aang knows a lady who makes weird concoctions. She could probably make one that would transform you into an animal that Katara would like."

Zuko flushed as Katara stormed back into the courtyard right at that moment. "Shut up, Toph!" he bellowed.

Toph cackled madly as she felt two pairs of heartbeats begin to race at her jest.

* * *

**A/N:** WOW! YES I AM BACK! I HAVEN'T DROPPED OFF THE END OF THE EARTH!! I was just struck with some kind of lightning bolt of inspiration today and knew that if I didn't write about it it would leave my head as quickly as it entered.

In other news...Yeah, I know this one isn't all that good, it was supposed to end differently, but whatever. I had to put some ignorant Sokka in and nothing would be the same without Toph poking fun at someone. And I guess the title was kind of inspired by the recent Harry Potter movie...

Anyway...I'M BACK!!


	81. 243 Savior

**Disclaimer:**

A Haiku:

Avatar: The Last  
Airbender does not belong  
to TwistedFury.

(Count the syllables. They add up!)

* * *

"Everything is going to be alright," she says to the empty room. As long as she speaks the lie—avoids thinking otherwise at all costs—everything _will_ be fine.

Of course everything will be fine; she has to believe it, because everything has to be fine.

He will come immediately once he receives her letter.

She may have nowhere to go, but he will give her shelter. She knows he will.

She may have disgraced them both, but she knows he will still love her.

She places her hands upon her stomach and leans back in the overstuffed chair. "I'm sorry Aang," she says, turning towards the window that overlooks the ocean. The sun is just beginning to rise. On the horizon she thinks she sees ships. She smiles, "Daddy's coming for us. Everything is going to be alright."

Then she eases herself to her feet and makes her way quickly to the bathroom, trying to keep down the contents of last night's celebratory supper.

* * *

It was just one night, she thinks, as she returns to the window to keep her vigil. How could such a large mistake come from just one short night?

As the sun rises in the sky and the sails on the horizon become more pronounced she shakes her head. Mistake is not the right word. Blessing, perhaps? Miracle?

Savior. That is what this child is. This child is a savior, giving her a genuine reason not to marry him today. This child is giving her a way out of an unhappy life. This child is her savior and its father is her knight in shining armour.

A knock on her door breaks her train of thought. "Katara?" Toph's voice calls through the thick wood of the temple door. "Are you in there?"

"Come in, Toph," she says.

The heavy door creaks open and reveals the small, blind Earthbender on the other side. "We should probably get ready. The guests are starting to arrive."

With one last look out the window Katara rises slowly from the chair. "Okay, Toph. My dress is in the closet." The ships look to be too far away. Katara sighs, knowing that it is quite possible that by the time they do arrive, she'll be unhappily married. And he would have come in vain.

* * *

In the mirror she is first drawn to her own face, which is glowing with what she supposes is the 'feeling of life' that her Gran-Gran used to describe women of their village. Her eyes then flicker to Toph and Suki in turn. The hazel-eyed warrior is braiding her long mane of deep brown hair the way her mother used to. Toph's hand rests reassuringly on Katara's shoulder.

When Suki finishes she leaves the two benders with the excuse that she has to, "Make sure that Sokka hasn't drunk all the champagne yet."

As the door closes behind her, Toph bends down to next to Katara's cheek. Both girls stare blindly at their reflections in the mirror. "You should be happier. Get happy," Toph commands.

"I am happy," Katara says, looking away and picking up her make-up brush.

"No, you're not," Toph says, reaching out for Katara's hand. "You're getting married and you're going to have his child and you're not happy."

Katara blanches. "How do you know that I'm...?" she trails off.

Toph chuckles. "I've known for weeks, Sweetness. You confused me, for a while, though. I wasn't sure why you had two heartbeats."

"Oh," Katara says, because she can't think of what else to say. She can't very well tell her best friend that this child doesn't belong to Aang. "I am happy. I'm just nervous."

Toph shakes her head doubtfully. "You don't get nervous, Sweetness. Something's wrong."

Katara opens her mouth and closes it multiple times. If she was to tell her that the child isn't Aang's, what would happen? "Toph, the baby…"

The door to her rooms bangs open loudly, colliding into the vase behind it and sending it crashing to the floor. Footsteps rush across the wooden floor and Katara doesn't need to look to know who it is.

"What is he doing here?" Toph growls, sensing the identity of the intruder.

Katara smiles at his arrival and slowly stands. She turns to face him but before she can speak, Zuko's eyes flash to her stomach and he says, "So it is true then. It's mine."

* * *

Toph graciously closes the door to Katara's bedroom, allowing the unlikely couple a few moments of peace.

"How long have you known?" he asks. It's not a harsh demand to know, nor is it a curious inquiry. It's just his way of speaking.

"I'm four months along," Katara answers.

His gaze flickers down to where her stomach lies, hidden underneath layers of white, blue and gold fabric, but just as quickly his amber eyes are staring at her face again. She thinks she sees a smile play at the corners of his mouth, but he washes all emotion away as suddenly as it appears. "Why did you wait until now?"

This was not how she had pictured him reacting. She had imagined him bursting through the door and sweeping her into his arms. She imagined him carrying her onto his ship and sailing away happily together. She did not foresee this cold demeanor he brought with him.

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know how you would react," she says, truthfully.

This time, when his eyes flutter back down to her abdomen she sees the one emotion she never thought he would show. Anger ignites in his amber eyes. "You shouldn't have told me. You should have pretended that it was his." He almost sneers the last word.

"I couldn't have, Zuko. It couldn't have been Aang's child. I…we haven't…"

Understanding graces the Firebender's face in the form of a smirk. "Then why did you sleep with me?"

"It was only once. I never thought that…"

"But it did."

Katara straightens herself to her full height before walking towards the man she thought she knew. "Why are you acting so smug?" she sneers in his face. "This is as much your fault as it is mine. Take some responsibility—"

"Is that what you want me to do?" he hisses. "Whisk you away with me to the Fire Nation?" He jabs his finger in her face. "You could have come with me months ago and everything that is happening now wouldn't be. But you chose Aang. You didn't want me."

"Then why did you come?" Katara challenges. She does the best she can in pretending that she isn't about to cry, but tears slip silently down her cheeks as she waits for his answer. "Why did you come?" she repeats when he doesn't answer.

His large hand comes up to cup her face, and with his thumb he wipes the tears from her cheeks. "I came because even though you didn't, you always did want me."

His words puzzle her, and she tells him so. He laughs under his breath and touches his forehead to hers. "I came because you want me," he repeats. She opens her mouth to complain that she still doesn't understand, but he continues, "Let me speak. I came because I love you. Even after you chose someone else, I still love you. And the fact that you wrote to me, practically begging for me to come to you, shows that you love me, too." Laughing, he wraps his arms around her slightly enlarged waist and twirls her around. When he places her feet on the floor again he kisses her with desperate passion. "I was going to come anyway." His lips brush against hers as he speaks. "I was going to come whether I had a reason to or not, because I couldn't tolerate the idea of you being with someone else."

She presses her lips against his and wraps her arms around his neck. "Neither could I."

From the other side of the door Toph knocks once, reminding them that it is time to make their decision public.

* * *

The words her father said when she told him that she and Aang were engaged echo inside her head… "I married twice. The first was a match made for political reasons, which is why I married again."

Katara looks down the aisle at the man who is standing beside the altar. The one who she loves is waiting somewhere outside the chapel, she knows. She holds the flowers—baby's-breath to match the colors of her dress—closer to her rounded stomach.

Toph knows—she is the only one—and Katara looks at her as she passes, walking ever slower towards the man waiting for her at the altar. Toph frowns as the bride continues walking past her pew. Even the second, fainter heartbeat is racing, as if it, too, knows that its mother is making a mistake. Katara suddenly stops in the middle of the aisle. Toph's face lifts to a smile as Katara heads back down the aisle, away from the altar and toward the life she should have chosen months ago.

Toph smiles even wider when the softer of the two heartbeats begins to calm.

* * *

**A/N:** Uhm. So yeah. This one was kinda a combination of two previously written drabbles that I thought were too short to stand on their own, so I combined them around 2:30 and three hours later I finished the middle and now I'm uploading it. Well, you can't really say I worked on it for three hours because I was periodically getting up to help my dad with one of his summer projects...And then I needed food so I got some Nilla Wafers. (Raise your hand if you still eat them! WOOT!) And now, wha-lah! Here it is. I'm actually kind of proud of this.

Er...and for the challenges/prompts that I owe people...ya'll should know by now that I'm very slow with that kind of thing, but they will definitely will be part of the 100 drabbles.

I hope you enjoyed this one as much as I did. Updates will come, but not quickly. Maybe sometime next week?

Thanks to all those reviewers/readers who have stayed with me! I'm one of those people who get really, really excited even when I only have two reviews, so please keep them coming!

Love, Twisted.


	82. 323 The Art of Politics

**DISCLAIMER:** If you have a Toph, an Aang and an Iroh action-figure and I have a Katara, a Zuko and a Sokka action-figure and a random hobo has all three seasons of Avatar on DVD it still doesn't add up to anything because Mike and Bryan own Avatar: The Last Airbender. And I do not.

* * *

"I am a paradox of sorts," I begin as I address the press. The flashes of the cameras blind me and while I can't see past the edge of the podium, I know that she is out there—somewhere—listening as our story unfolds. "I am the man who was chosen to represent all that's good and honest in the people of this country. I am the man who was chosen to be the epitome of a moral citizen, and I broke one of the most cardinal commandments: Thou shall not commit adultery."

I pause and take a deep breath as the clicking and flashing of cameras becomes more frequent. Reporters all begin talking at once, raising their hands while shouting out questions, but I ignore them and continue. "Every affair story has the same, scripted scene in one of two ways. But every affair is unique in the way the shit hits the fan."

* * *

Mai greeted me with a peck on the lips when I entered our bedroom that night. It didn't go unnoticed on my part that she was wearing one of her more revealing night-dresses. Her hands ran over my shoulders as she took off my jacket for me. Laying it aside she said, "Katara came by with some papers. She said they were urgent."

"Oh?" I tried my best not to sound too interested.

"Yes. I put them in your study," she said, kissing behind my ear.

I disentangled myself from my wife. "I should probably take a look at them."

"I'm sure they can wait until tomorrow," my wife said.

I shook my head. "If Katara said they were urgent…"

"You always choose your work over us, Zuko."

"Mai, you know that's not true," I said, even though we both know it is.

"Isn't it? Zuko you've spent more time in your office these past few months than you have with me."

"Mai you know I've been busy. There's talk of a revolution over-seas and I have to—"

"And you have dinner with Katara more than you've eaten with me."

"Mai, you're being ridiculous. We work together on everything. Katara and I are friends."

"Is that all you are?"

I froze. Her statement was more of a challenge than a question.

* * *

_"Well what do you think I should do?" I yelled._

_"Zuko, the answer is obvious," Katara said, leaning over my desk. "Leave her."_

_"I can't do that," I said, slumping into my chair. _

_Katara stood up straight again and folded her arms across her chest. "Then we need to stop seeing each other."_

_I sighed in defeat. I know my options. "I don't want to give you up either."_

_"Sooner or later Zuko, one of us will have to leave. We can't keep this up forever." The Vice-President of the country turned on her heel and walked away from me. _

_"Why not?" I asked as her hand reaches for the door. _

_"Because a marriage can't exist between three people."_

_And then she's gone._

* * *

"Are you challenging my fidelity?" I asked.

"Maybe I am, Zuko. How can I know what you have or haven't been doing with that wench?"

"Don't call her that, Mai."

"Why not? That's what she is, isn't she?"

"No. She's—"

"She's what, Zuko? Your mistress?"

Again, my mind refused to work.

"Zuko, I want you. But if you want someone else—"

"You already have me," I said.

"I want all of you. I want things to be like they were when we first got married."

I shook my head. "They'll never be like that again."

"Because of her?"

"No, Mai," I shouted. "This has nothing to do with Katara! We're different people now. We want different people."

"You mean different things, Zuko."

"That's what I said."

"People," she said sadly. "You said people."

"Well I meant to say things."

Mai shook her head. "You know what Zuko, maybe you're right. Maybe we do want different people. Maybe you should just go to her."

"Mai," I tried to reason. "You're upset. You're saying things you don't mean."

"No," she snapped. "I do mean them. Get out. Just…get out!"

* * *

I walked down the hall to my study, ignoring the security agents in their dark suits as they nod when I pass. I'm fairly certain that my marriage is over. I don't know if I should be sad about that or elated that I can finally give Katara my full, undivided love.

I flicked on the light in my study and searched my desk until I find the folder Mai put there earlier. I immediately recognized Katara's elegant handwriting on the front. I tore open the flap and read the paper quickly. Then I read it again to be sure I understood it the first time.

_Dear Zuko,_

_We both know that what we had between us was just unresolved emotions that carried over from our youth. I know that you love Mai more than you will ever love me. I know that despite your claims that you love me, you'll never leave her. And you love her too much to ever tell her about us. Regardless that you are the President, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. That is why I'm afraid I will have to end this affair. Please send all papers for review to my office. _

_-Katara_

I slumped backwards in my chair as I finally realized that in the space of less than half an hour I lost both my wife, the love of my life, and quite possibly my reputation as well.

* * *

The room erupts in laughter.

I know that there are three people, however, who don't laugh at my attempt to lighten the situation.

One reporter sees this moment of attempted hilarity as a chance to ask a question. "Mr. President, do you regret any of this?" he shouts above the din.

I squint, but I can't put a face on the man who asked the question. My assistant warned me against answering any questions; but I've also been warned against lying, cheating and adultery. Look where that's gotten me.

Instead, I picture Katara's face and say, truthfully, "No. No, I do not."

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, so this was a challenge/request from FullMoonBallad--I hope I did it justice! Her request was an AU Zutara with Zuko as President who has an affair with his Secret Service/Secretary or whatever---I made Katara the Vice-President. If this is AU I guess ya'll can think of Aang as the Pope or something...Idunnow.

Anyway, I'm sorry if the layout is kinda confusing. It's supposed to be a flashback that starts with a press-conference where Zuko admits to having the affair. And then it goes back to the night where Mai's suspicions are confirmed. And then it goes even farther back (the part in italics) to earlier that day when Zuko and Katara talk about their relationship. Then it goes forward again to when Mai basically tells him that she's done and that he can have Katara. But by then it's too late because Katara's already ended it because she's tired of waiting for Zuko to leave Mai. And _then_ it goes back to real time where he's still in the press conference.

Confused? Sorry...if you've got questions I will answer them.

REVIEW! (If I didn't kill all your brain cells with that explanation!)


	83. 131 ASAP

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. And I do not own the movie, or any rights to the movie, When Harry Met Sally. Sadly I do not own my own Billy Crystal either.

* * *

They had known each other for what felt like forever. And they had hated each other equally as long. But eventually, their hate subsided into a strong dislike. After all, they were in it together now, both on the same side, the defeat of the Fire Lord their common goal.

They were by no means friends, but each was grateful for the other's presence. It provided comfort and support rather than friendship. And that was why she was there; for support. After all, she _had_ known him forever.

So she visited him four or five times a year. Mainly to help with the epidemics and floods of wounded soldiers still coming home from the war. And also to visit Iroh, with whom she wrote constantly. Over the course of her visits she began coming less and less for support and more and more for friendship and the pleasure of his company. And he thoroughly enjoyed her company.

And it was on one of her visits that she got an offer to stay at the palace forever, healing, helping, loving.

It was late, and she was just getting ready to go to bed. The door to her suite flew open and crashed against the wall. She jumped, but was surprised to see that the shadow of the figure belonged to _him_.

"I'm sorry to startle you."

"It's alright. Is something the matter?" she asked, drawing her robe closer around her.

"Yes," he answered, too quickly.

She was silent, waiting for him to go on.

"I need to hear your answer."

"What's the question?"

"I love you."

"Zuko—"

"I'm not saying this because I'm crazy, or lonely or sick of my Uncle trying to marry me off. I'm saying this because it is true. I love you. Will you stay here with me? Marry me."

"Why?"

"Why?" he laughed. "Why? Because when you find someone you love, you're obviously going want to spend the rest of your life with them. And as soon as you realize you love them, you're going to want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." He said this as he moved closer to her. "Please, stay here with me."

"When do you want my answer?"

"As soon as possible."

"And when do you want to marry me?"

"As soon as possible."

She smiled. "I will marry you, as soon as possible."

He closed the gap between them and stroked the side of her face with his fingertips. She smiled, closed her eyes, and waited for him to kiss her. Which he did, as soon as was possible.

* * *

**A/N**: I'm sorry it's so crappy. I'm sorry that I have now become the recluse writer. And I am extremely sorry that I haven't been updating frequently. School's starting up again and things are beginning to become hectic. I have a lot of pre-written drabbles, so I'll be referring to them (bewarned, they're mostly crap), and updating when I can. Oh, and for those drabbles that I do update with, expect most of them to be AU because I find it easier to write that kind of Zutara pairing.

I'm currently planning out the final chapter of this drabble series (Yes, I do plan to finish it...eventually :-)) and so I'll ask all my lovely reviewers who have stuck with me through my long absence to send one word themes in their reviews: Such as 'Cold' or 'Smile' or something like that. As incentive, you'll get a shoutout in the A/N if you do!!

In other news...Yes, the line that Zuko says about the rest of his life starting as soon as possible is a direct quote from the movie _When Harry Met Sally_ which is one of the most fantastic love stories around. I haven't seen that movie in months, which must give you some idea of how old this drabble is...

**Maladory Canrei**: *Dodges whatever you're throwing at me!* I'm very sorry! I'm halfway done with the challenge you sent me, but I've hit a wall and I'm not sure how to write around it or go over it...as soon as I do I'll update with your chapter. I promise! I'm really sorry that it's taking so long.

Review!


	84. 46 Impasse

**dIsclAImEr: **I'm back? This was inspired by yet another re-read of _The Twilight Saga_, especially _Eclipse_. I don't own any of the books, although I would most definitely like to. Enjoy.

* * *

"I love you."

The Waterbender adjusted herself in his arms, snuggling closer into the warmth. "I love you more."

She could feel him rolling his eyes. "Doubtful, love, very doubtful."

The moon was full that night. It cast an eerie glow on the two lovers as they watched it move ever so slowly through the starlit sky. "Impossible. I couldn't live without you."

"I believe that you are referring to me…You are my life, my soul, the air I breathe…my everything," he said quietly, caressing her cheek.

"Then how, may I ask, did you live two years without my existence on this earth?"

Just as she thought, Zuko gave her no answer.

"Fine. Then I'll just die before you."

"No you won't! How can you say that?" she cried, trying to look at him. Through his scarred eye he looked down at her.

"I can't live without you, so I'll die before you."

"You're being _so_ selfish! Do you care for me at all? _I_ can't live without _you_! So therefore, _I _am dying before you."

"No, you're not."

"Yes. I am."

"No. I won't allow it."

"Then you're not allowed to die either."

"So do you expect me to live forever?"

Silence. "So where does that leave us?"

"An impasse."

"But there is a compromise, love."

"Oh…"

"We die together."

Katara looked up at Zuko. "I like that…But then won't we have to spend our lives together, to make sure we'd die together?"

"That wouldn't be so bad, would it?"

"Living with you…I dunnoknow."

He laughed and kissed her head, inhaling her beautiful scent. "I love you."

"Love you more."

He chuckled. "Doubtful, love, very doubtful…"

* * *

**A/N: **So yeah, I thought it was time to do another update. It's probably only gonna be a one time thing, though. But maybe I'll do another. I really want to get to 100 drabbles, just so I can feel like I accomplished something.

Hope everyone is having a good Holiday Season and will have a good New Year as well. 2010!!


	85. 213 Leaving

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Peace. Enjoy.

* * *

"You. Can. Not. Leave. Me." His eyes blazed—burning brighter than I had ever seen them. Like a fire storm.

"Zuko," I whispered. "You have to see that…that I can't stay. You _must_ see that."

"No!" he shouted at me. I cringed back and abruptly Zuko crumpled forward, falling to his knees, falling into me. He buried his head in my stomach and his arms locked around my waist. He was shaking, shaking hard, and loud sobs were breaking out of his chest.

" Zuko," I begged. This was so much worse than his anger. "Don't. Please, don't cry."

"'Tara," he moaned. I was crying, too. "You can't leave me."

"I have to…I have to," I sobbed, stroking his hair

We cried wordlessly for a long time. His tears dried before mine. Eventually, he straightened up and pulled me into his arms again. He waited until I was able to speak. "Sorry," he whispered into my hair.

"No, I'm sorry. I should have told you, when you didn't guess. I just…I couldn't. I didn't want to tell you—to hurt you—to hurt me. It was selfish."

"We need to talk about this, 'Tara. It's not a done deal. It can't be."

"It is."

He shook his head, clenching his teeth. "How long? How long have you been planning this?"

"Since the summer," I whispered. It was well into autumn now. Only a few more months.

He nodded, silently. "And you thought, what? That I wouldn't want to claim what's rightfully mine? That _I_ wouldn't be able to keep this secret safe?" He paused, softening his tone purposefully. "I can understand that. But that doesn't mean you have to go anywhere. Just because they know now…that doesn't mean _anything_. No one will force you to leave."

"Zuko, please!"

"They can't make you, Katara! Do you hear me?" He was shouting again.

"I didn't show them to save _your_ kingdom! I didn't show them to get a burden off _my_ chest," I whispered. "The baby's existence only made me decide faster, Zuko. I did it for her. I did it for Mai."

He said nothing. He wasn't happy with my explanation.

"She'd be trapped in a loveless marriage, living an entire life of lies. Watching her husband love another. She deserves a life, too. She deserves love."

"You deserve a life 'Tara. You deserve to _stay_."

"I can't stay, Zuko! Marry Mai. She loves you."

He closed his eyes and his pale lips went dead white. "But I love _you_!" he whispered. "Doesn't that matter?"

"Of course it matters! So much. Can't you see? That's why its so…so necessary that I leave."

His eyes flashed open. "Is it so _unbearable_ to have me love you?" he growled. "Is that it? I'll marry Mai if you want me to. Just, please, stay here. With me."

"No, Zuko!" I took his giant hands in my smaller ones. He gripped my hands hard, keeping me tied to him. His skin pulled white over the knuckles. "No! What do you want me to be? Your...your concubine? I—I can't stay here and watch while you marry another woman."

He closed his eyes again. "I would never make you a concubine, Katara." His thick black lashes were wet with tears. I could see them glisten.

"I have to leave," I whispered. I pulled myself closer to him and touched my lips to his. He curled his arms around me, pulling me tighter against his chest. Our lips moved together, as if our separation was not inevitable. As if we would truly be together in the end. And I started to cry again, realizing that I must go, and sooner now than I had planned before. That I must leave this man who looked strong enough for two, but was only as strong as one.

He moved his lips to my cheek, but it was too late. My decision was made. "Don't cry, 'Tara," he said, kissing my tears away. "You're staying with me."

"I've been everywhere. I've been in love with someone from all the acceptable nations. And yet here you are," I whispered, against his jaw, my voice breaking. "I never found anyone. And yet here we are. Why you? You're not one of my tribe. How can we possibly be together? You're going to be married."

"It's a strange world," he murmured.

"It's not fair," I complained. It wasn't fair. How could finally I find love and happiness and have to leave it all? Was it fair that Zuko would have to suffer? He deserved happiness if anyone here did.

"I love you," I whispered.

"Don't say that like you're saying good-bye."

But I had to. "I love you, Zuko. And that will never change, no matter what becomes of me, or where I might be. I will always, always love you."

His arms stiffened, then constricted tighter around me, and I could feel the anger in them again. It was hard to breathe. "You're not running off anywhere. You're staying right here."

"Zuko—" But he kissed me again, his mouth rougher with the return of the anger.

I pushed away. "I have to leave. The baby won't be safe in this world. And with its existence, neither will I." I placed his hand upon my stomach, only slightly more rounded than it was four months ago. "Let me go. I _have _to go. For our child."

His hand rubbed circles across my abdomen. His eyes became thoughtful, and I began to believe he would allow me to leave. "Let's go," he said, so softly I couldn't be sure that's what he said.

"What? Where? Where are we going?" _I _was going, _he_ wasn't going anywhere. And yet my heart pounded when I thought of going away, somewhere, anywhere, with Zuko.

"Don't give me any trouble about this, Katara." He pulled us both to our feet.

"Where are you taking me?" I insisted.

He replaced his hand on my stomach. "You are going to go to my chambers. You will wait there until I come for you. Gather whatever you need. We'll leave tonight."

"You're not coming with me. You have to stay here."

"Why?" he asked.

"Because there are things that must be done. Fire Lord…things." He smiled. He knew I was bluffing.

"No. Because as a father and lover it is my duty to be wherever my one true love is." He held a finger to my lips as I opened to speak. "Not a word. You're not leaving unless I am on that ship with you."

And then he kissed me, slow and gentle, like the flow of molten lava through the dark center of the earth. Like the methodic beating of the waves against the shore. And for the first time, I felt our child move.

* * *

**A/N: **Wow, two updates in one day!? I've been wanting to use this since I wrote it, but I never did. So I dug it out of the archives and tweaked it and posted it. I really hope you enjoy it. I actually got the inspiration for this from reading _The Host_ by Stephanie Meyer. She is so good, I can't wait until she writes another work of wonder.

Review.


	86. 275 Shut Up

**Disclaimer: **I do not own or pretend to own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Would I like to own it? Yes. That way if I did there would be a fourth season where Zuko went looking for his mother with Katara like they did in the Southern Raiders and they fell in love. Because they do love each other. And I'd kill off Mai. Well, maybe not kill, just elimate from Zuko's thoughts.

* * *

"I just can't do this problem," Aang cried, slamming his pencil down and collapsing on his math textbook.

"You've almost got it, Aang," I urged from across the lunch table.

"What are you? His little cheerleader?" Zuko shouted. "Go take a break Aang. You're never going to understand this if you're upset. Here," he dug into his pockets for loose change. "Go buy me a soda. We'll try it again when you get back."

Aang pushed his chair away and stormed off to join the long lunch line. He left me at the table with Zuko.

I didn't wait before pouncing on him. "You're a little hard on Aang. And unnecessarily so. I mean, he's really stressed out right now. He's still having trouble with Algebra and the exams are only a week away so I was thinking, maybe, you could let him off easily. He works better with praise and—"

"You're a freshmen. Why are you talking to me?" Zuko asked through bites of his sandwich.

"Well…I…You're my brother's best friend so…"

"So you thought that made us friends? You'd thought you'd defend your boyfriend?"

"He's not my boyfriend," I snapped.

"But you want him to be."

"I do not."

"Do too."

"Do not."

"Do too. Does he know?"

"Shut up!"

"I'm a senior," he said, putting his sandwich down. "You can't tell me to shut up," he said, leaning in closer. "Do you want me to be nicer to Aang?"

"Please," I said through clenched teeth.

"Confess your love to him and I'll think about it."

"Shut up." He smiled widely as I stood up from the table, exhausted from simply talking with him.

* * *

"If train A is travelling at five miles per hour faster than train B, and they both leave their respective depots at the same time, at what distance from each depot will they meet?" Zuko read from the textbook.

"Aang, come on," I said, breathless as I ran to their table in the library. "Sokka's football practice got cancelled so he's going home now. Do you need a ride?"

"Actually, I thought I'd take the late bus today. Mr. Roku wanted to talk with me about—"

"Hey, answer the question!" Zuko yelled, slamming his hand on Aang's notebook. "At what distance will the trains meet?"

"Sorry," Aang said, snapping his focus back to Algebra.

"You think I'm tutoring you _for free_ because I feel like it?"

"Zuko—" I said. Aang was in foster care. He only attended this school because they offered him a scholarship.

"Oh, I'm sorry Katara. Was there something you wanted to say? To anyone here?" Zuko's voice was filled with implications.

"No. There wasn't. I have to go anyway."

"Coward," he said.

"Shut up," I hissed.

"Katara!" Aang said, shocked that I would talk to someone else that way.

"Bye Aang. I'll see you tomorrow," I said as I left, shooting one last glare at Zuko before I did.

* * *

I walked down the halls of the school with my phone pressed against my ear.

"I know, Suki," I said. "But Sokka didn't mean to forget your anniversary…No he wasn't with someone else, he was home…I know you're mad at him, but he really does love you…Everyone makes mistakes…Yeah, they forget about something that's important, and they make people mad, but…Let me speak! But its what happens after they forget that really counts. The part where they make everything all right matters more…Give him a second chance. Goodbye Suki!"

Footsteps and heavy breathing echoed down the empty halls. Nobody but myself and the teachers would ever be at school this late, so when Zuko jogged in front of me and cut off my path I faltered.

"You're not at a loss for words with your brother's girlfriend…"

"Oh, for Spirit's sake!" I tried to side step him, but Zuko matched my motions.

"…and you don't seem to have any trouble letting me know how you feel, so why not tell Aang?"

"You really are the last person who should be giving romantic advice."

"When I like somebody I make sure they know it. Life's too short to live it any other way," he smiled at me. There was an intensity in his eyes that scared me. Or maybe it was the indecision on his face, or that the words he spoke sent shivers up my spine.

I blushed and looked away. "Well, what if he doesn't like me back?"

Zuko sighed. "Then he's an idiot."

In one swift motion, so fast that I couldn't even be sure he did it, Zuko leaned in and his mouth pressed against my cheek.

"What the—"

His amber eyes melted my soul as he looked me in the eyes. "Shut up." Suddenly I felt the cool metal of the lockers against my back and the warmth of Zuko's lips on mine.

And since Zuko kissed me, I can't remember ever liking someone else.

* * *

**A/N: **AYAYAYYA!! THREE updates in one day. I think that's a new personal record. Yeah. But I'm maxing out at three, because I've got stuff to do to prepare for our Mega-New-Year's Eve Bash tomorrow. *Cough* cleaning the house *Cough*. Not one of my favorite things to do. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the updates. :-) Think of them as Holiday gifts since I've been AWOL for so long.

Review!


	87. 299 It's Not About You

**Disclaimer: **Avatar: The Last Airbender. Not mine. Regular old Avatar with blue people and amazing visuals...not mine either. -- And I can't decide which one I want more!

* * *

"This isn't about you! This has absolutely nothing to do with you, Zuko," she said.

"This has everything to do with me!" he roared.

"No, it doesn't," she repeated.

"Then what is it about?"

"Me. This is about me," she said, pointing to herself.

"What are you talking about?"

"This!" she gestured around the room. "All of this, Zuko. I can't do this anymore."

"So, what? You're leaving?"

When she didn't answer he collapsed into the chair behind his desk.

"I have to think about what's best for me."

"I can give you whatever you want, Katara. If you're not happy—"

"I am happy!" she exclaimed, leaning forward onto his desk. "I am happy here. With you. But…I can't stay here any longer."

"Why? What can I do to make you stay?"

"Nothing. There's nothing anyone can do. I just…I need to be with the people I love."

"I love you Katara. I love you so much. And I don't know how I can love you more."

"I know. But I just…," she trailed off as she gazed out of the window. "I need to know what else is out there."

"Who else, you mean," he said, his voice strained.

"No. I guess…I just need some…time. You'll give me that, won't you?" she asked, turning towards him again.

He sat in his chair, weary and sad at the prospect of losing her. "I'll never do anything to make you unhappy. Are you going home?"

"I don't know."

"Will you be back?"

"I don't know, Zuko. I need to think about some things."

He pushed himself to his feet and stood in front of her. "I'll always be here, when you decide to…whatever you decide to do." He kissed her on her temple and watched as she left his study. Before the door closed he caught a glimpse of a bag, stuffed with all the possessions she would ever need.

He went to the window and watched as she stepped into the carriage. He knew she may not ever come back, and that tortured him. _It's not about you_, her voice echoed.

He would give her a year, he decided. And from there they would see how it things would go.

* * *

**A/N: **I think I'd rather have this Avatar. I mean there's just so much more stuff I can write about with it...

This is an older one...as are most of the ones I'll be updating with. I had an epiphany--well actually, it was more of an "I'm fed up with not having 100 drabbles yet, so we're just gonna go for it and not really care about anything but getting to 100". So here's another one. I'll get to 100 someday. Hopefully soon since I have a break from school coming up.

Review!


	88. 248 Safe

**Disclaimer: **Avatar: The Last Airbender - not mine. There. I said it, okay? I've come to terms with that fact!...And I'm not Mike or Bryan either. I also don't own the artwork that gave me the inspiration for this drabble. I can't even remember the name of the artist or of the picture. But it was amazing!

* * *

His head hung against his chest as he waited for her return. Inside, he had felt his warmth dwindle twice, meaning they had had her for two days and nights. He knew very well that she may never come back, but in a place like this, it was always better to keep some hope alive than none.

Footsteps echoed down the stone corridor and stopped outside the steel door to the cell they once shared. Footsteps always meant one of three things. One, they were bringing you food; two, they were bringing you away; and third, the most rare of all, they were bringing someone back.

The latch on the door opened with a click and a red and blue shape was thrown onto the floor. Beside the form, a tray with two bowls of what they called soup—and what he called garbage—slid into the cell. Most of the grayish liquid sloshed onto the floor; Zuko didn't care that half his food for the day was wasted. She was back.

Slowly, she tried to push herself up, but his arms were around her and pulling her to him before she could register their strength. She sighed once she smelled his familiar scent, musk, wood smoke, sweat—and a new scent now—dried blood. She was sure at least her left arm was broken, and possibly a few ribs as well. Her ankles were bruised from being dragged up the stone steps, but more than the pain, she focused on being back with him again.

"You're safe," they breathed in unison.

* * *

**A/N: **I got nothing. Hope you enjoyed it.

Review!


	89. 12 Leave

**Disclaimer: **Hello, my name is TwistedFury and I too am an Avatar addict.-- Everyone always says that the first step to solving a problem is admitting it. But how this is going to help me one day own Avatar: The Last Airbender, I'll never know.

* * *

Everyone he ever loved—ever cared about—and everyone who ever cared about him—ever loved him—has left him.

His mother, banished by his father.

His uncle, brought down by his own brother's flames.

And now her.

He winces as they exchange their vows.

She seems happy as they retreat down the aisle as man and wife, but he knows she would have been happier with him. The guests wipe their tears and follow the happy couple to the reception.

He stays in his pew, watching as the colors from the stained glass fade as the sun's place is the sky is replaced by the moon.

He climbs down from the pew to kneel between the rows.

He folds his hands and bends his head like his mother showed him.

He recites the prayer for the forgotten that his uncle recited for his cousin.

When he finishes he rises and steps into the aisle. Walking towards the altar, he stops to bow and pay his respects to the Spirits. He reaches into his pocket and takes out the blue engagement necklace he carved for her. He places it on the altar next to the Holy Book.

"Katara," he sighs, playing with the stone one last time. "You said you'd never leave me."

* * *

**A/N: **Must. Get. To. 100. Running out of ideas and decent left-overs!

Review! Need ideas! Please send!


	90. 117 Friends

**Disclaimer: **No. No I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Thank you, for helping me to this realization. You have now destroyed my hopes and dreams.

* * *

He thought girls were supposed to like flowers and chocolates and things that glittered. Maybe she was different. Maybe she didn't want flowers or chocolates or glittering trinkets. Maybe she just wanted him, not gifts.

So he went to see her.

"Thank you for the flowers, they're so beautiful."

He blushed, "I saw them, and they reminded me of you. Simple, and yet so beautiful."

It was now her turn to blush. She hid it by taking a sip from her porcelain tea cup.

"This tea is delicious," he complemented.

"Thank you. Iroh sent it to me."

"You correspond with him regularly?" He tried to remember the terms their group had parted on.

She laughed a nervous laugh. "Oh no. Iroh sent it as a…a present. Months ago, actually. He told me to drink it with a friend, and it would bring happiness. I had been saving it for a special occasion," she smiled up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

He placed his tea cup down and cleared his throat. "I wanted to talk to you about that," he said nervously. "About our friendship."

"Oh, Aang," she began.

He held up his hand and she stopped. "Let me speak, please," he said. "I know I'm younger than you, but what I feel for you is bigger than age."

"Aang, let me explain—"

"Katara, please let me finish. Since the day you agreed to come with me to the North Pole, I've felt a connection. A bond that time won't break no matter what the world throws at us. Katara, I love you. I think…I _know_ I always have."

Somewhere in his speech he must have grabbed her hands, because they suddenly felt empty when she drew them away. There were tears in her eyes. "Aang. I'm so sorry. But—" she pulled down the collar of her dress to reveal a carved stone necklace.

His world came crashing down. She was betrothed. He was too late.

"Zuko and I…we've been seeing each other. I do love you Aang…I'm just, I'm just not…" she trailed off. "I'm so sorry."

He stood up quickly, disrupting the table and sending the tea cups scattering. The ones that fell to the ground shattered. "Don't, Katara. Don't be sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I can't be Zuko. I'm sorry I couldn't make you fall in love with me."

He turned and walked away. He didn't look back to see the tears streaming down her face.

Maybe she didn't want flowers, or chocolates, or glittering trinkets, or him.

Maybe she wanted someone else.

* * *

**A/N: **OooOOooOOooOOHHHH!! Re-jected!

:-) For some insane reason I just love it when Aang doesn't get Katara in the end. It makes me sadistically happy!

Review!


	91. 289 Disguise

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Would I like to? Yes! But do I? No.

* * *

She knew no one would recognize her in fire nation clothes. Her hair, usually in a braid, fell freely down to her hips and swayed gently as she walked. The clothes, however, contrasted deeply with her darkened skin. Her eyes as well were a dead give-away, but no one should think anything of them. No one would get close enough to.

She chanced a look at her surroundings. The street was crowded with vendors and Fire Nation citizens milling about. There must have been over a hundred people around her, and yet she happened to look up into the face of the one person who could not know she was here. She froze in her tracks for only half a moment before quickly darting down a side alley.

"Wait!" he shouted. She knew that voice. It was one she tried to forget, but couldn't. Because it was always there. Following them. Haunting her dreams. She turned around. There he was, the Prince of the Fire Nation. She didn't break her stride. He couldn't know she was here. He couldn't find out _they_ were here. He couldn't find out Aang was here. "Please, wait!"

Reluctantly, she slowed, and he caught up to her. "Yes?" she answered coldly.

"I…have we met before?" he asked, slightly breathless.

_Not properly, but yes…_ "No, I don't believe so." She continued walking.

"Please, don't go! I could have sworn I'd met you before."

It was her eyes, he recognized her eyes. "I really don't believe we've met."

"Oh, I think we have. I would have remembered such plain hatred."

Katara smiled, bringing one hand up to her neck. Had she remembered to take her necklace—so obviously Water Tribe—off? She had. "Well. I really must be going now."

"At least let me escort you home, Miss…erm…I don't believe you told me your name."

_A name…a name…_ "My name is…not important." She gave him a hard look, "Good-bye."

He continued walking next to her. She continued to look away. "But without your name, how will I see you again?"

"Simply."

"Oh?"

_He _was_ as stupid as he looked._ "You won't."

"Then who are you staying with?"

She turned around abruptly and walked into his chest. His arms reached out to steady her, but she cringed from his touch. "What do you want from me?" she asked.

"Your name. Your father's name. Any name that will allow me to see you again." Was he pleading with her?

_Katara, the Avatar…_ "I'm sorry. I can't tell you that," she shook her head and made to leave again. He grabbed her arm. His touch was surprisingly warm against her always-cool skin.

Amber eyes tried to meet blue. "Please," he begged.

She yanked her arm away. "I have to go."

And there she left him, standing in the marketplace. Love struck.

* * *

**A/N: **Hmm. I had thought about writing a Cinderella-esque story about this one-shot. But nothing came. I don't know. Maybe for another day.

Review!


	92. 96 Gym

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. Nor am I a member of the NBA.

* * *

Gym class, especially during basketball season, is the worst class of the day.

Most of the girls have swindled their ways out of a gym class. Some take art. Some take dance. Some are in the play. But lucky me, my dad is in the army. So we moved here late in the school year. All the classes that could have been an alternative to my hour and a half sentence in purgatory each day were already filled.

So I was stuck in the large icebox for an hour and a half each day with only one or two (I never really bothered to count) other girls. There were, however, about thirty boys. And, due to the ever-growing need for kids in the athletic department, all newly enrolled students would have the pleasure, no, Coach Pakku had said, the honor of enlisting (it was very much like an army) in the gym class periods.

So when the new kid transferred to my school even later in the year than I did, he too had the pleasure and honor (or eternal damnation), at least until graduation, of seeing me struggle, fail, get tackled by my own teammates, sweat, trip, and get hit by balls every day.

For an hour and a half.

This semester it was basketball.

Basketball was the one sport that I truly detested. The concept made absolutely no sense. Sweaty bodies rubbing against each other—and of the same sex no less. And tossing a ball at a basket that's 10 feet high-almost twice my height. Not to mention the fact that the ball was passed in to one player who was undoubtedly the best and who, once getting the ball would take it all the way down the court and then inevitably make the basket. And repeat.

There was no sense of T.E.A.M. in basketball, at least not to me. Give me a football, soccer ball or baseball and I'll know what to do at least. But not even the coach would take pity on us girls. So it was basketball that we played. Every day. For an hour and a half.

But I'll have to say that in mid-January when the new boy transferred, I didn't mind basketball too much. He was athletic. Undoubtedly the best athlete in the entire school. But instead of dominating every basketball game we played during gym class, he resigned himself to following me around the court as my guard. No one on my team ever passed me the ball, so he had nothing to do for most of the period. But the one time they did, he didn't jump madly at me like he would have anyone else. He stood in front of me, smiling his cocky jock smile. His amber eyes locked with my blue ones.

I knew enough of basketball to know that you had to keep the ball from the other team at all costs. I pivoted and he was right there, his chest pressed against my back. His arms extended to either side, providing a shield around me. His breath tickled my neck as he panted. My teammate was suddenly shouting at me to toss him the ball. I obliged, throwing it as hard as I could down the length of the court. I stepped back, right into his chest. For the briefest of moments he held me there. Sweaty body against sweaty body. "I hope you get the ball a lot more often," he whispered, before stepping away.

I secretly hoped I would too.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh, how I love my gym class and my overactive imagination. And Zutara, which, in case you didn't guess, is the couple in this drabble.

Review!


	93. 303 Routine

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender, or any characters of the show that appear in this drabble. I do not own the song "After All These Years" by Adema either.

* * *

**one got addicted and the other ran away  
****one lets go of the wheel while the other one steers  
****one got the money that the other put away  
****one followed their dreams while the other stood clear  
****one found religion and the other lost faith  
****one sold something that he never could replace  
****one hits the bottle till his problems go away,  
the other never came home from school that day**

**- "After All These Years" : Adema**

* * *

Katara followed the directions on the bottle: Push down. Twist.

She paid no attention to the Warning sign. She took them with alcohol. No one knew how much pain their separation had caused her. She thought it was her fault. He didn't have the courage to tell her that it was his.

He was scared. He was afraid of commitment. He was afraid of her. He left her standing at the altar under the assumption that he had just had a night too full of fun to recuperate quickly enough. She would kill him later, of course. But when the white shoes started to pinch her feet and the sun began to send a glare into her face, she turned and walked down the aisle alone. She didn't cry.

Instead, she asked for Advil. She followed the directions on the bottle: Push down. Twist.

Champagne accompanied them. From then on, it was easy to do. Push down. Twist. Swallow.

He left.

.::XXX::.

For a brief moment Zuko stands outside the pawn shop, considering his options. He turns his wedding ring over and over in his palm. Over again. The tinkling of the bell seems more like a warning than a welcome. He already has an envelope with her address on it. The man behind the counter weighs the jewelry in his own palm; makes a show of measuring its value. "Six hundred," the man says. Zuko nods in agreement. He just wants to be rid of it.

The man hands him six hundred-dollar bills. Zuko folds it and seals the envelope. She'll get the money within the week he figures. On his way out the door, the man yells, "Good-bye". It sounds more like a warning than a goodbye.

.::XXX::.

He keeps driving East, away from the town that he had grown up in. Away from the town that he had met her in. The town that he had disgraced them both in. He tries to justify his leaving: He's not good enough for her—her brother would certainly agree. They don't have the same dreams. She would never understand why he wanted to move East. To a big city.

But somewhere deep he knows she would follow him anywhere. Go along with whatever he wanted. Make his dreams hers. But he had never asked her to do anything for him.

However he tries to justify it, he always comes back to the same conclusion. It is his fault.

Zuko pulls into the parking lot of the next diner.

.::XXX::.

"Katara, are you coming with us?"

She rolls over so her face is in the pillow, away from the sun. "No," she mutters, still groggy with sleep. Sunday mornings were always a favorite of hers. She always loved going to church, singing the songs with the choir, looking at the ridiculous hats of the old ladies. Now she just doesn't care. She doesn't go.

She's been let down. It was in that same church that he left her. It was in that church that she realized that he didn't love her. When her brother closes the door to her room, she props herself up and pulls out the drawer to her night-stand. She takes out the bottle and follows the directions: Push down. Twist.

It is outside that church that the old ladies murmur to themselves about what a strange girl she is becoming. It is outside that church that her brother and father hold their heads up high and ignore the whispered comments about their own flesh and blood.

.::XXX::.

He is led to a corner booth with torn red seats. The waitress asks if he would like anything.

"A cup of coffee. Black, please," he says. "Oh, and a pen," he adds as she walks away.

He pulls a napkin out of the dispenser, unfolds it and smoothes the creases. The waitress returns with his coffee and a blue pen. He uncaps it and begins to write his apology. He figures that if he can find a post office in this small one-stop-light town somewhere between Home and the Unknown, the letter will reach her by the end of the week.

.::XXX::.

Neither of his letters ever reached her. Her brother called him two days later to tell him that she didn't wake up one morning. They found an empty bottle of pills in her dresser drawer, he says. He says the funeral will be on Friday. The end of the week.

When the phone went dead, he began to cry.

He cried because she killed herself.

He cried because she never knew how sorry he truly was.

He cried because she thought it was her fault.

He cried because he knew it was his.

At the funeral, people came up to give him their condolences. It is inside the church where they should have been married. It is inside the church where her downward spiral began.

It is outside the church that her brother and father hold their heads up high, and furiously blink back the tears from their strong blue eyes.

It is outside the church that Zuko begins his own downward spiral.

It is in the bar down the street that Zuko develops his own routine: Call for another beer. Wait for the bartender. Drink.

* * *

**A/N: **It's scary how habits form so easily sometimes.

I was hesitant to put this up because of the content, but I figured, why not. Unfortunately, things like this happen every day.


	94. 148 One Step At A Time

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I wish I did, but I don't.

* * *

"Why? WHY? Toph _why_ didn't you stop me?" Katara screamed at her companion. Toph had listened to Katara's ranting all morning and now didn't bother to answer her questions because she could never get a word in edgewise. "I don't even _like_ Zuko. It was as if something came over me. That's it, something came over me. I knew I couldn't _possibly_ have done it of my own free will…"

It now seemed to Toph that Katara was trying to convince herself more than she was Toph that what she did was not really her fault. Toph tuned the angered Waterbender out and focused intently on the footsteps nearing their room. Unfortunately, they belonged to the last person Katara wanted to see, and likewise who wanted to see Katara.

"Sugar Queen…" Toph said, interrupting Katara's rant. "There's someone here to see you." As if on cue the tent flap opened.

Katara whipped around. "What do _you_ want?" she demanded in a voice that suggested all but kindness.

Zuko cleared his throat. "I want to talk to you," he said.

"Toph and I were just in the middle of something. Could you possibly-"

"Now is a perfect time. Sugar Queen, we can finish this later," Toph said, practically bending Katara out of the tent. Toph's sudden push knocked Katara off balance and sent her stumbling out of the tent. Before she could hit the ground Zuko's hand shot out and steadied her. Katara stiffened as Zuko's hand met her arm. She was shocked that his touch was warm. Zuko immediately withdrew his hand from her arm, like her skin would burn him if he lingered a moment longer. The look in her eyes certainly suggested that she would, too, if she was a Firebender.

Toph was doing the best she could not smile at her handiwork. Both of their pulses had skyrocketed when they made contact. Katara jerked her hand away just as Zuko let go of her arm. Looking slightly embarrassed, Zuko started walking down the hall of the abandoned temple. Katara gave one last, angry look at Toph, and continued after the prince.

Toph smiled widely to herself as she felt their footsteps growing fainter. She _loved_ being an Earthbender.

"How is it going?" Iroh asked, coming around the corner. She had known he was standing there, watching the exchange. She knew he was by no means thin, but was still surprised at the spring in his step.

"I think they're getting along just fine," Toph said.

Iroh sighed. "What a beautiful couple they will make."

Toph looked in the general direction of Iroh. "We have to get Scarface and Sugar Queen to _tolerate_ each other first. Then we can focus on the wedding."

* * *

**A/N: **Zutara just wouldn't be the same without Toph.


	95. 227 Pride

**Disclaimer: **Don't worry, nothing changed since last time. I still don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender. And I also don't own "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Phillipa Gregory (obviously, since my name is neither Phillipa or Gregory) from which I drew inspiration for this drabble.

* * *

"So, at last, he can be with Toph," he called from the other side of the courtyard as he strolled across to where I stood. "They say that Aang is so foolishly in love that he has gone to her and lost all the respect of the world in one ride," he clucked his tongue. "Marrying the blind daughter of a disgraced Earth Kingdom man…"

"I don't know anything about that," I said.

He laughed, his amber eyes gleaming at me. "You seem very sad today. Aren't you happy that Aang will finally be happy?"

"Yes," I said shortly. I turned and walked away from him. I had barely gone half a dozen steps before he was beside me again. "Will you please just leave me alone, Zuko?"

He chuckled. "I have not seen you for days. Can't we just talk?"

"It's never 'just' talking, with you," I said.

"Don't you miss me?"

"Terribly," I quipped.

"Do you ever look for me?"

I hesitated. He fell into step beside me. "I don't expect you to," he said with sincerity. "But I thought that we quite liked each other."

"We did. Once. A very long time ago."

"Do you wish we could go back to then?" he asked.

"No," I lied. "I do not like to dwell in the past."

"But you do remember how happy we were back then?"

"Zuko, I do remember. But there are more important things to think about now," I said.

"Such as what, Katara?" he challenged.

I couldn't think of anything at this moment. To be truthful, I did think about him. A lot. But if he knew that he would hold it against me and wield it at every opportunity he could. And if I did tell him that I do think about him, I would lose all the dignity I had gained for myself by being a strong, independant woman. So as much as I wanted to tell him that, yes, I do still think about him every day, and yes, I do miss the times we had, I couldn't.

"I look for you," he said. "And I think of you all the time."

"You shouldn't. You are the Fire Lord and I am the Ambassador of the Southern Water Tribe—"

"Can you honestly say that you never look for me? Never think of me?" he pleaded.

I stopped and looked up into his amber eyes. It took all my self restraint not to tell him the truth. "Never," I lied, and left him standing in the archway to the stable yard. There was too much at stake for me to tell the truth.

* * *

**A/N: **Not much to say. Almost at 100.


	96. 278 Mend

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. I do know how to sew.

* * *

"How many of Sokka's clothes have you had to mend?" he asked me suddenly.

I laughed. "Probably all of them. At least twice. Why?"

Zuko sat next to me before the fire. "Its dark; I can hardly see anything. And yet now you're sewing extremely quickly and doing a wonderful job, too."

"Practice makes perfect, I guess," I said, shrugging.

"I would make a mess of this. Your fingers are so tiny."

His head was bent towards my hands. I looked up and saw the back of his neck. His long black hair seemed so smooth and I found myself wanting to touch it.

"Your hands must be half the size of mine," he said absently. "Stretch them out."

I stabbed my needle into Sokka's pants and stretched out my hand to show him. His gaze never left my face as he put his hand up too, palm to palm, toward mine, but yet not touching. I could feel the warmth of his hand against mine; I could not take my eyes from his face. I watched the cracked and marred skin around his eye. I wondered if the skin would be soft or scaly. But surrounded by the roughness, I could not take my eyes from his. Despite the ugliness of his mark, his eyes—a brilliant shade of amber—were captivating.

Slowly he brought his hand close to mine. The heel of his hand touched the heel of mine and I felt the touch like a bite. I jumped a little and I saw the smile in his eyes as he saw that his touch was a shock to me. My cool palm and fingers extended along his, my fingers stopped far before his digits ended. I felt the sensation of his warm skin, calluses on his fingers from sword-play and constant bending. I saw my look of desire mirrored in his eyes.

"Your skin is so soft," his voice was low as a whisper. "And your hands are tiny, as I thought."

Then slowly, his hand grasped mine and he held it, gently but firmly within his own.

"Zuko…"

"I should let you get back to your sewing." He dropped my hand. "Some of us prefer to see Sokka clothed. Good night, Katara," he said, standing and returning to his distant mood as quickly as he had left it.

I watched him as he walked away, then sighed and resumed my mending.

* * *

**A/N: ***SIGH*


	97. 64 Beautiful

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. And I do not own whatever it was that gave me the inspiration for this drabble. It was probably something from Stephanie Meyer. Not sure which book though. Probably Eclipse. That was a good book. New Moon sucked, so it wouldn't have come out of there. Twilight was amazing, because it was the first, but I've read that so many times I basically have it memorized and this passage probably didn't come from there. But it might have. So it's either from Eclipse or Twilight. But it might be from Breaking Dawn too...that book had some romantic fluff in it. I can't remember...now it's gonna bug me...Oh, you didn't have to read all this. I actually expected to lose people way back in the beginning of this little rant. So you can just go on to the drabble now. Okay. Bye. See you at the end.

* * *

"You know," I said, staring at the ceiling, "you ruined everything."

He propped himself up on his elbow, but continued to stroke the back of my hand. "How did I do that?"

"I was doing just fine until I met you," I said, ignoring him. "I was happily ignorant of the world. Now, I can only see the world in terms of beautiful and ugly."

"Explain that please," he said, kissing my fingertips.

I rolled over and closed my hand around his. "What I mean is, well, you, for starters. Before I met you, everyone was beautiful to me. They all had some kind of glow. And now, since I met you, no one has a glow as stunning as yours. I can no longer enjoy the beauty of anyone because everyone pales in comparison to you."

"I'm guessing there's more."

"Yes, there is," I said. I looked directly at his beautiful face. "I can't spend one minute without you, because when I'm not with you my life has no purpose. There is no light; there is no beauty in my world without you."

He smiled widely, wickedly.

"I know," I squealed. "Its so lame. And corny. And—"

"No it isn't," he said, kissing me. "Its beautiful."

* * *

**A/N:** HI!

Review!


	98. 185 Dance

**Disclaimer: **Yeah. It's still not mine. At this point I think we all know what I'm talking about.

* * *

"No, no! No! I told you, I don't dance." But my protests were useless as Toph pulled me from my chair.

"C'mon, Sugar Queen. Everyone can dance."

"You misunderstood me. I can dance, I just choose not to."

She stopped pulling my arm long enough to stand still and meet my gaze. Her clouded eyes made it seem as though she could see right through my soul. I shivered. "One day you will meet a very handsome man and he will ask you to dance. What will you say? You'll say no, I don't dance. And then he'll leave and you'll have lost your chance at love. So, trust me, you'll thank me for this one day."

"You sound like my grandmother…" I muttered. Toph ignored my comment. She resumed dragging me along to the crowded dance floor but stopped at the edge of the crowd. Once she let me go I made a beeline back to our table. But I didn't see the smirk on her face.

I darted between tables and chairs, leaping over a few that were impossible to move. Then one chair pushed out and nailed me in the gut. I stumbled into a staff member who abruptly pushed me back towards the chair again. Arms—strong, muscular arms—caught me.

"Sorry," a voice said.

I looked up. My first instinct told me to back away. So I did, right into the chair. His hand shot out, steadying me. He pulled me close so we were chest to face. I closed my eyes and sighed. I had already been knocked into this boy four times tonight.

"We keep meeting like this," he said. "I'm going to have to start wearing signal lights so you don't hit me anymore."

I nodded, trying to clear my head. I tried to think, should I flirt? "I like bumping into you." I mentally winced after my words were out. No wonder I didn't have a boyfriend yet.

Then, Zuko, the god of Roku Preparatory School, star soccer player, smartest student in the history of the school and total hottie laughed. He looked over his shoulder at the dance floor. I studied his profile. "Would you like to dance?" he asked mischievously.

In a daze, I nodded. I was at a loss for words, stunned that what Toph had said would happen, actually happened.

To my surprise, he did not lead me towards the dance floor, but away. He took me to the very back of the ballroom where the pot and skin heads of our school were surrounded by their usual cloud of smoke.

He pressed up against the wall of the ballroom, tapping at various intervals. When he moved a panel aside to show a door, I assumed we had reached our destination. I just didn't know if it was a good or bad indication.

He opened the door for me and I stepped inside the dark room. He pressed a switch on the wall and the darkness was illuminated by a giant crystal chandelier.

"How do you know this place?" I asked in awe.

"I've got some friends who work here," he said with a smirk. "May I have this dance?" He offered me his hand.

I smiled. "There's no music," I said, but I took his hand anyway. When he pulled me close I realized I had absolutely no idea what to do. He must have seen the confusion in my eyes so he took my hands and placed them on his shoulders. His hands trailed back down my arms, sending chills over every part of me.

He put his hands on my waist and pulled me closer so our bodies pressed flat against the other. He bent down and whispered in my ear. "If there's no music, why don't we make our own?"

* * *

**A/N: **So, yeah. Someone, like a million years ago, had requested a drabble prompt with the theme "Prom". This was the best I could come up with. So here it is. Just pretend they're in like one of those big hotel ballrooms. They didn't go together as a couple. Circumstance (cough *fate* cough) just tossed them together. With the slight interference from Toph. You could say that she and Zuko got together beforehand and planned the entire escapade out. I like that scenario. :-) But then again, I also like Toph.

99 is next!


	99. 10 She Knows

**Disclaimer: **Like Avatar: The Last Airbender - which I do not own - this series of drabbles must also come to an end.

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"Wait! You can't leave yet," he called after him, breathless from chasing the older boy.

"Why not?" the older one asked roughly. "There is nothing left for me here. My duty is done."

Her brother looked at the boy strangely and pointed to the blue figure sitting alone on the staircase. Zuko turned his head and looked at what he was pointing to. The girl sat with her knees drawn up to her chest, her arms wrapped around them. She must have sensed them watching her because her head snapped up and her gaze found his.

"You're not finished with everyone here," he said. The older boy gave no response. Sokka continued, "You can't leave unless you tell her."

Zuko tore his gaze away from the girl and turned his attention to her brother. He smiled at the younger boy and pushed his way past him.

"She already knows," he muttered to himself.

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**A/N: **The penultimate chapter. I thought this day would never come.

So Sokka finally came to terms with the fact that his little sister fell in love. And he's giving Zuko permission to love her. And yet Zuko leaves. Bittersweet. I love it. It's like dark chocolate.


	100. 100 The End

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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1. Warmth: **All Katara remembers from the nightmares is that she is running. She's running and suddenly she falls into a pair of strong, warm arms that wrap protectively around her. There's a deep, husky voice that whispers, "I'll save you. I'll save you," over and over. But she doesn't recognize the voice; all she remembers is the warmth.

**2. Voice: **Katara knows she's heard that voice before, but this time it doesn't whisper, "I'll save you. I'll save you." Instead he's shouting at his men to capture them. And all she wants to do now is run away and hide from the embodiment of her once sweet dream.

**3. Prejudice:** "I hate you," she sneers. "Look at what you've done to us! To Aang!"; "I didn't do this; my father did," he yells. She turns away from him, "You're his son; you did it just as much as he did."

**4. Comfort:** He's never been very good with people, especially crying, female ones. When she turns away he wonders if he should leave. Instead he places his arm around her shoulders and pulls her closer. And for the first time, someone he's tried to touch hasn't pulled away.

**5. Bruise:** She can't breathe because of the pressure against her chest; her arms are cut and bloodied and she can't bend down without a searing pain throughout her back. But she won't ever quit their sparring sessions because she enjoys being around a shirtless Zuko much more than she should.

**6. Chase: **He wasn't used to not being liked. He was used to not having girls fawn over him. And it bothered him much more than it should have that she didn't like him. He realized that he wanted her to like him. So the chase began.

**7. Stare:** "Can you _please_ not walk around in your skivvies?" he asks, looking away, his cheeks red. She looks down at her white under-wraps and then back at him, blushing at his bare chest. "Can _you_ not walk around shirtless all the time?"; "No," they both say.

**8. Splash: **Zuko knew he shouldn't have splashed her, but he was desperate. "That's how I Waterbend," he says. Katara smiles mischievously and runs and jumps into his arms. After she kisses him on his lips and he feels himself blush, she says, "That's how I Firebend."

**9. Coins: **If she had just one coin for all the times she thought about him, she'd be as rich as his family. Then again, she'd be rid of the coins just as easily, using them all to wish that he'd think about her just once.

**10. Drive:** Now that he's found the Avatar, he needs a new mission. And as he runs across the courtyard to block the lightning his sister fired at her, he realizes what his new drive is: a certain blue eyed girl who he can't ever bear to lose.

**11. Adrenaline: **"Did you do it because you care about me?" she asked; his heart fluttered, but he couldn't admit to feeling anything toward her. He couldn't bring himself to look at her as he broke her heart. "No. It was only the adrenaline."

**12. Pride:** "Can you honestly say that after everything we went through together, you don't feel anything for me?" she asks. His voice is cold as he answers, "Yes. I could never love a peasant." (But unfortunately you are one.)

**13. Command: **She was always ready with a command him. Gather some firewood. Light the fire. Stop Sokka before he hurts himself…and teach him to use that stupid thing. And the most frequent of commands: stay away from me. He listened to her and never complained. But he was waiting for one command he knew she wanted to give, and yet was also afraid to. But if she ever was to give it, he would obey it without hesitation: Be mine.

**14. Elements: **He grew up as Fire; grew to hate Fire. He hated Air for making it impossible for him to return to Fire. On principle, because he was Fire, he hated Earth. But try as he might, whenever he tried to hate Water, he would only create Steam.

**15. Erase:** Katara wishes that she could forget about all the evil in this world; that she could feel safe again. But even when Zuko kisses her, she remembers the smell of the burning flesh amongst the freshly fallen snow. And she wishes that his kisses could erase that, but they can't.

**16. Date:** "Sokka, can I take your sister on a date?" Zuko asks. Sokka narrows his eyes and stares at the Firebender. "You better not have said what I think you said, or else your ass will become very good friends with my foot," the blue-eyed boy threatens. Zuko tries again, "Can I take her on the word for a small brown fruit?"

**17. Study:** "Do you want to go out tonight?"; "I thought we could stay in and study," Katara said; "Biology?" Zuko asked. Katara smiled, "Chemistry."; Zuko grinned wickedly, "What about Anatomy?"

**18. Young:** Though he knows that she has done many things that have made her wise beyond her years, Sokka thinks his sister is too young to be in such a serious relationship with the Firebender.

**19. Cactus: **Sokka thinks it's the cactus juice that makes his sister say she's going to Zuko's room. He knows she isn't really going there. For a while, he isn't worried, until he discovers that neither of them drank their juice that night.

**20. Wake:** When she has a bad dream she'll wake and hurry down the hall to his room. Zuko will wake only when she pulls the blankets off him and all but pushes him out of his own bed.

**21. Icy: **His laugh is throaty when she chills him with her cool hands. "Sorry," she says. "My hands are always like ice." He places her icy hands on his bare chest and smiles, "The colder the hands, the warmer the heart."

**22. Close:** He flinches as she throws herself against him in an embrace. "Sorry," he says, when he sees the hurt and fear of rejection in her eyes. "I'm not used to being this close to anyone." She smiles, and snuggles her head into his chest, "Get used to it."

**23. Resist:** She had ignored her brother's antics for years. She had ignored Aang's affections because she knew it was nothing more than a silly boy falling for the first girl he ever saw. But try as she might, she couldn't resist the dark haired, husky voiced Firebender for long.

**24. Ignite: **She's on fire from the inside out. Never mind Firebenders, _she_ is the human torch. And as quickly as Zuko's lips leave hers, the burning sensation inside her leaves with him. But she likes when he ignites her, so she grabs his shirt and pulls his head down once more.

**25. Desperation:** He groans and pants as she pulls away. "I'm not ready. But I know I won't be able to say no," she says, panting equally as hard. He pulls her close again, "Well I can't stop myself."

**26. Patience:** It's never been Zuko's strongest attribute, but when Katara hides herself beneath the silken sheets and quilts of his bed and cries into her pillow, he knows he'll be able to wait however long it takes for her to be ready.

**27. Union: **His uncle had told him time after time that the union between a man and a woman was a happy occasion. Zuko was afraid though, when Katara refused to look at him once the deed was done.

**28. Cleanse: **When she kisses him it feels as if his entire past has been erased; there is nothing but the future they have together.

**29. Fate:** "That word is overrated," Zuko says; "Then what would you call us?" Katara asks, leaning into his chest. He turns her mouth towards his and kisses her. "Destiny," he says.

**30. Strength:** Katara has taught him that strength isn't about how many benders you can fight at once, or how many hours a day you train. It's the intensity with which you love.

**31. Accents: **Their accents and their features are very different. She is the dark skin to his light. He has a refined tongue to her slight drawl. But they both say "I love you" with the same ferocity.

**32. Shoulder: **Katara walked up to him with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" he asked as she wrapped her arms around him. "Who do you need me to beat up?"; Katara shook her head, "Right now I just need your shoulder."

**33. Priorities: **He knows that it's their duty to stop this war. He knows that's the only reason they're all together. But as he lies next to the sleeping Waterbender, stroking her hair, he wishes they didn't have to do it quite so immediately.

**34. Fire:** When all was said and done the small group went their separate ways. It was not long after that that Sokka called upon the eldest boy of the group to return. He hoped that when Fire came, he would return even just a small spark of the spirit his sister used to have.

**35. Sight:** "I never want to see you again," Katara cries. Zuko grabs her by the waist and pulls her closer; "Well that's too bad for you," he hisses before his mouth crushes hers, "Because I'm not willing to let you out of my sight."

**36. Survival: **When she left, not even the most basic of survival skills his uncle had taught him could keep him alive. He wouldn't eat for days, nor could he bring himself to breathe without pain from where she ripped out his heart. Without her next to him, he was sure he wouldn't be able to survive.

**37. Together: **Oh, my love, he thinks, what have I done? He remembers the summer nights they spent together. She got him to open the closed doors of his heart. To tell his secrets and to love with a passion as never before. So he continues to run, run back to what was and forever will be.

**38. Distance: **She looks down the gravel road, but sees nothing. He should be here, she thinks, running to me, arms open. Did his declarations of love mean nothing? She sighs, even the truest of lovers must part their ways. And she continues to walk, away from what was and might have been.

**39. Return:** She only returned because Iroh wrote to her and begged her to come back. But when she saw the state that Zuko was in, she knew she had to stay. "You're pathetic," she says, stroking his hair as they lay in his bed. He smiles and wraps his arm tighter around her waist, "But it worked. You came back to me."

**40. Cheer:** She knows that it is a happy day for her old friend. But when she breaks the vow she made to herself and looks toward the altar, she just can't bring herself to be happy for him.

**41. Jealousy:** Zuko isn't really sure what the feeling he gets when he sees Katara kissing someone else is called. All he knows is that he is with Mai, and he shouldn't be feeling it.

**42. Picture: **Zuko liked that picture of them the best. He's staring at her and she's smiling into the camera. That picture was from a time when they were happy; when they were together; before he was married. That's why he's saved it all these years.

**43. Pretend: **"This is wrong. I'm not your wife," she says sadly; "I know," he answers. He pulls her closer and whispers, "But can't we just pretend?"

**44. Altar: **She often told her mother that she would never get married. She smiles now though, as she stares into the amber eyes of her true love, and says the two words she should have said so very long ago.

**45. Gallery: **He's always vowed never to enter that room, but when he takes his wife on a tour of the palace and she asks with her usual charm, "What's in this room?" he knows that with her by his side the monsters from his past won't haunt him anymore.

**46. Children:** He's afraid of having kids because of the history of bad blood in his family. But when he looks at his blue-eyed wife he knows that the goodness in her will cancel out everything bad in him.

**47. Whatever:** She placed her hands on her slightly rounded stomach and stared at her husband. "Are you mad?" she asked tentatively. He seemed to break out of his trance at that. The Fire Lord rushed to his wife and twirled her around. "I could never be mad at you," he said, setting her down and placing his hand on her abdomen, "Whatever you have in there is perfect."

**48. Pulse:** As his grows fainter she makes a deal with the Spirits. When it dies all together Katara realizes that she'll never love again.

**49. Vengeance: **"I can't believe you would put me through this," she says, her voice barely more than a whisper. "You said you loved me. You promised me!" The tears fall freely now. "If you weren't dead I'd kill you myself," she cries before turning away from the casket.

**50. Coping: **"I'll get over him when the oceans dry up. I'll be fine when the grass turns purple. And I'll return to normal once everyone stops reminding me that he is gone!" Katara shouted. And that was the last time anyone ever asked her how she was dealing with Zuko's death.

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**A/N: **Well, that's all folks. We have successfully reached 100 drabbles after what feels like a million years. Even though it's only been like 2 or 3. I don't remember. It's just been a really long time.

I hope everyone likes the sentences! I tried to order them in such a way that they actually tell a story.

I'm sorry I must now leave you. *TEAR* Please review one last time to cheer me up.

Thanks to all who stayed with me from the very beginning and kept with me throughout my many, many long absences, especially lately.

-TwistedFury


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